The Spirit Act of 1860 made it possible to produce large volumes of blended whisky, and many spirits merchants and grocers began to specialise in producing blends with a very broad appeal. Drinks which had a lighter character than malt whisky, but were more substantial than grain whisky. The economic advantages of creating a flavoursome drink out of grain whisky were not missed by the many wine & spirits merchants who took up blending, and since they were now able to achieve greater consistency of flavour, it also became possible - and desirable - to brand their creations and promote them.

The Victorian era produced many remarkable people, not least in the whisky industry. They were assisted by a number of factors. First was the appeal of the product. Second, the growing fashion for things Scottish, led by Queen Victoria herself. Third, the by now well established rail and sea routes, which made transportation far easier than previously. Fourth, by the existence of the British Empire, the biggest market in the world. Fifth, and most significantly was a bug, Vastetrix, which devastated the vineyards of France between the mid- 1860s and the late 1880s. The significance of the latter was immense. During the 1880s the vineyards of Grande Champagne were ruined and the production of Cognac virtually ceased. Brandy became almost unavailable. And brandy (with soda) was the drink of the English middle classes. Blended whisky (and soda) was there to replace it.

The Blenders Goal

The whisky blenders task is to combine a number of malt and grain whiskies in such a way that the resulting drink is more than the sum of its parts. Its parts are many. The Master Blender selects from between fifteen and fifty different malt whiskies and three or four grain whiskies. Each at a different age and is chosen from an individual cask.

The formulae for some blends are a hundred years old, but they are not sacrosanct. Distilleries close and their product is no longer available. Sometimes they choose to withdraw from blending market and bottle their output as a single (Glenmorangie did this in the early 1980s). From time to time whisky companies alter the composition to suit changing taste. This was recently done, very successfully, by Bell's (a bold step for the UK market leader) and the new 8 Years Old is richer and smoother than the previous blend.

The Early Blenders

For as long as they have existed in Scotland, whisky was sold by taverns and hotels, wine and spirit merchants, grocers and provision merchants. The whiskies were sold under the merchant's or invented names, not branded by the distiller, although by the early 19th century Glenlivet had made such a reputation fot itself that a huge number of malts - many of them remote from Glenlivet itself were using the name.

It is safe to suppose that some of these merchants mixed their whiskies - even diluted and adulterated them. Until legislation permitted weaker washes and smaller stills, illicit malt whisky was much superior to the legal variety; as we have seen, in the Lowlands pot-still grain distilleries were common. Young whiskies were mixed with old; grain with malt - all in the interests of profit.

This early 'blending' was a crude affair. There was little quality control, and little concern for consistent, repeatable, products.

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