‘A Long Time Coming’: Independent Bottler Douglas Laing Makes Distilling Debut With Strathearn Single Malt Scotch

Douglas Laing & Co acquired Strathearn Distillery and released the brand’s inaugural single malt scotch whisky. (Photo: Douglas Laing & Co.)

Independent scotch whisky bottler Douglas Laing & Co. announced on Monday that the brand was venturing into the distilling game with the brand’s launch of Strathearn Single Malt Whisky after acquiring the distillery in 2019. The inaugural expression hosts a suggested retail price of £85 ($106).

“This moment has been a long time coming, and one that we are extremely proud to share with the world,” Douglas Laing & Co Managing Director Caira Laing said in a statement. “As the third generation helm of Douglas Laing, I am proud to be leading this move into this exciting new venture of distilling.”

The whisky was drawn from a combination of ex-bourbon, virgin and ex-sherry casks. Some of the sherry casks used in the maturation process were from Strathearn before Douglas Laing & Co acquired the distillery. The brand claims every drop of the whisky was crafted by hand “without any elements of automation.”

“Our Strathearn distillery team make a barrel of spirit per shift or, simply speaking, a barrel a day,” Laing said. “This may be a drop in the ocean compared to some distilleries, but for Strathearn, it’s a proudly hand-crafted drop that embodies the spirit of the distillery.”

Strathearn Single Malt Scotch is bottled at 50% ABV, and the brand describes it as “a bold yet soothing dram” that is as “natural as it gets.” The Douglas Laing & Co.-owned brand exclusively makes its whiskies from Maris Otter malt. The brand claims the malt species yields a “creamy, malty flavor” that blends harmoniously with other components in the whisky. Strathearn cites the whisky as possessing a “syrupy” palate, with honey and buttercream flavors. The whisky possesses a lingering finish, with plenty of buttery oat cookie flavors.

“Strathearn is the epitome of quality over quantity,” Laing said. “It is a part of our family history, but rest assured this is only the beginning for Douglas Laing Distilling.”

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