William Grant & Sons’ new blended whiskies pay homage to the Scottish landscape

In a sign that it is willing to move the conversation away from single malts, William Grant & Sons, an independent family-owned distiller known for whiskies like Glenfiddich and The Balvenie, has launched Wildmoor, a collection of blended (malt and grain) Scotch whiskies.

“Single malts have always had a lot of the limelight,” said Mitch Bechard, Wildmoor’s global brand ambassador. “But what we are seeing now in the whisky industry is [the arrival of] many new blended whiskies in the market. I think people are starting to be interested in blends again.”

William Grant & Sons is no stranger to blended Scotch: Grant’s Whisky, created in 1898 during the rise of blended whiskies, is still being produced. The grain whisky that goes into a Grant’s Whisky is produced by Girvan distillery, which also happens to be one of the distilleries from which the Wildmoor whiskies take their grain components from — William Grant & Sons has not disclosed the other distilleries that produce the grain and malt whiskies for Wildmoor’s blends.

According to a press statement, the whiskies used for Wildmoor come from William Grant & Sons’ private reserve, which has been held by the family for 60 years: The collection of whiskies is considered one of the finest reserves of rare whiskies in the world.

Wildmoor’s whiskies are blended by Brian Kinsman, William Grant & Sons’ master blender. “Brian [Kinsman] was able to pull many different characters from various types of casks. It really allowed him to explore and strive for different flavours,” said Bechard. “You’d notice there isn’t a particular house style for Wildmoor.”

Nor are the whiskies tied to any particular regional style like Speyside or Islay. Instead, their flavour profiles are inspired by Scottish landscapes or what its press release describes as “a tribute to the country’s wild elements”. The bottle design comes with a textured glass that features a miniature topography of the Scottish country, while each Wildmoor expression is named after a particular aspect of the Scottish landscape.

The Wildmoor Dark Moorland 23 Year Old (S$238), the youngest in the range and the de facto flagship, is a blend of Highland and Speyside malts and Lowland grain whiskies. Aged in American and European Oak and finished in Oloroso sherry casks, the Dark Moorland offers notes of dried fruit, spices and vanilla. Its dark hue — a ruboff from the sherry casks — and rich flavour allude to the imagery of the Scottish moorlands.

Inspired by Scotland’s western coastline, the Wildmoor Rugged Coast 30 Year Old (S$578) has — you guessed it — peaty and briny touches that complement its fruitcake profile. This is a great sip for those who don’t like their drams overwhelmed by peat.

The oldest in the collection, the Wildmoor Black Mountain 40 Year Old (S$1,498) combines rare grain and Highland malts with stock from ghost or shuttered distilleries. Its finish in Pedro Ximenez casks lends notes of toffee and caramel to the dark spirit. The 40 Year Old is also available in travel retail.

The other two expressions are travel retail exclusives available at Changi Airport’s Lotte Duty Free shops: The Wildmoor Waking Forest 23 Year Old (S$255), a marriage of whiskies aged in virgin oak and sherry casks; and the Wildmoor Tropical Coast 30 Year Old (S$522), which has been finished in a Caribbean rum cask for a sweet touch of burnt sugar. Yes, ‘tropical’ is a misnomer for Scottish weather but here the moniker refers to the white sand beaches on the country’s northwestern coastline.

Jyri Pylkkanen, William Grant & Sons’ regional malts brand ambassador for Southeast Asia, said each sip of Wildmoor offers a taste of luxury that can never be fully reproduced.

He added: “We are incredibly proud of what we have created and are excited to share this with the world.”