George Willsher was a man who didn’t conform to the norm. He did things differently. He took risks and wasn’t afraid to go against those who told him things wouldn’t work. When he conjured the idea for Black Bull in his blending room at his grocery and spirits shop in Dundee in 1864, he came up with a concept. That concept was for a high strength, high malt content blend that was bold and different.

The formula that he created was for 50 percent (%) of the blend to be made up of single malt whisky, for 50 percent (%) of the blend to be made up of single grain whisky and for the bottling strength to be 100 (US) proof (50% abv). Whilst all the others were trying to conform to a certain style, George Willsher did things his own way, and today we stick by that philosophy. We are proud to say we are still independently owned and run which gives us the freedom to keep a fresh approach and to offer something different.

 

The Black Bull 21 Year Old blended Scotch whisky from Duncan Taylor shows off the blending prowess behind the brand. This expression features a high proportion of Highland whiskies, as well as some Speyside and a touch of Islay, with a 55% malt to grain ratio. Bottled at 50% ABV.

Nose: A yummy bomb! freshly-cooked applesauce topped with cinnamon comes first, quickly followed by hints of toffee, chocolate-covered caramel bar (probably something like Twix), peanuts, banana bread and honey.  It’s tea time in my dram!

Palate: Lively, sweet and spicy. Some pleasant apple crumble, vanilla, barley sugar and sweet spices lead the way to subtle notes of white pepper, roasted almonds and a full bowl of crispy Corn Flakes cereal & sweetened milk. A bit confusing at some point – mixing some childhood breakfast memories with grown-up spicy flavours… Definitely surprising though!

Finish: Lingering with cinnamon, toasted bread and caramel

 

Pssst! Find the recipe here!