What makes The Famous Grouse so famous?

The Glenturret Distillery, home of The Famous Grouse. Photograph: Alan Richardson/Pix-AR.co.uk

In 1896, Matthew Gloag, a Perthshire grocer and wine merchant, created The Grouse Brand with a very simple idea: to make the best blended whisky he could possibly make and use the finest ingredients and expensive sherry casks to do it.

More interested in creating the perfect whisky than promoting himself, Gloag named his blend after the iconic Scottish game bird and his daughter Philipa drew the first Grouse that appeared on the label. The whisky was so smooth, that it soared in popularity and was renamed The Famous Grouse in 1905.

Gloag’s unique whisky earned its fame, and the brand still strives to produce the finest whisky today. Each of The Famous Grouse Family highlight the craftsmanship, quality and expertise that made the brand famous in the very beginning.

Meet the signature four

The original premium blended whisky, The Famous Grouse is made from the finest scotch whiskies, expertly matured in seasoned oak casks and blended with sweet grain to create a rich, perfectly balanced whisky. It tastes wonderful over ice or served as a classic The Famous and ginger (see recipe below).

The distinctive flavour of The Famous Grouse Smoky Black (formerly The Black Grouse) is achieved by introducing more peated malts into the blend, including a rare peated version of The Glenturret single malt whisky. This single malt is handcrafted using traditional methods at Scotland’s oldest working distillery, Glenturret in Perthshire. Try this blend with cola and a wedge of orange for a long and smoky tipple (see recipe below).

The Naked Grouse is double matured in sun dried sherry oak casks, developing a deep russet appearance and aroma that evokes black cherries, cocoa and oak. The smooth taste yields dried fruits and cinnamon spice with a dark chocolate orange finish. Enjoy it neat, or use it as the foundation for the classic old fashioned (see recipe below).

The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold was added to the range in summer 2015 after being carefully crafted by master blender Gordon Motion. Aged in specially selected rare, handcrafted Spanish sherry casks and charred American oak bourbon casks, it has a subtly sweet, mellow flavour profile that is distinctly smooth with a rich depth of flavour. It’s the perfect drink to enjoy at a party combined with cloudy lemonade (see recipe below).

Beautiful blends

Try these simple recipes from The Famous Grouse:

The Famous and ginger

1. Take a clean highball glass
2. Fill with fresh, solid ice cubes
3. Squeeze in a wedge of orange and drop into the glass
4. Add a 25ml measure of The Famous Grouse
5. Top up with Ginger Ale, stir and serve

(Each serve contains one unit of alcohol)

The Famous Smoky and cola

1. Take a clean highball glass
2. Fill with fresh, solid ice cubes
3. Squeeze in a wedge of orange and drop into the glass
4. Add 25ml of The Famous Grouse Smoky Black
5. Top up with cola, stir and serve

(Each serve contains one unit of alcohol)

The Naked old fashioned

1. Fill a clean tumbler with ice
2. Add 50ml of The Naked Grouse
3. Add 2 dashes of bitters
4. Add 10ml of sugar syrup, then stir for 20 seconds
5. Garnish with a twist of orange

(Each serve contains two units of alcohol)

The Famous Mellow and lemonade

1. Take a clean highball glass
2. Fill with fresh, solid ice cubes
3. Squeeze in a wedge of orange and drop into the glass
4. Add a 25ml measure of The Famous Mellow Gold
5. Top up with cloudy lemonade, stir and serve

(Each serve contains one unit of alcohol)

Please enjoy The Famous Grouse whisky responsibly.