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1257 Kensington Road NW
1 (403) 283-8000 / atyourservice@kensingtonwinemarket.com
$309.99
This 10 year old Islay Blended Malt was bottled to mark Douglas Laing's 75th Anniversary.
Producer Description
"Journey to the island of Hokkaido, Japan, where we've sourced the elusive Mizunara Oak. This rare wood, with its elegant charm, has been introduced to elevate Big Peat's iconic recipe to new heights. It's an experiment that embodies the fusion of Scottish and Japanese whisky artistry. This remarkable bottling is where the finest 10 Year Old Islay Single Malts meet the mystical Mizunara Oak. Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore, and the legendary Port Ellen have all come together for a two-year finishing period in a single, incredibly scarce Mizunara Virgin Oak Cask."
700 ml Low StockProducer Tasting Note
Nose: Hints of dried fruit, sweet coconut, cocoa, and spiced oak.
Palate: Notes of ash, sweet tar, candied peel, smoking chimneys and a subtle salty beach quality ... it's an Islay Whisky afterall.
Finish: Long and lingering phenolic (peaty) finish.
Yes, these are two separate companies, but it is difficult to talk about one without talking about the other. So, let's kill two birds with one stone, shall we? - Evan
The Hatfields & McCoys. The Montagues and Capulets. The Laings and... The Laings?
History is full of family feuds. It is also full of long-running game shows promoting the vicious rivalry. Sometimes, though, a family doesn't need to have an outside influence to struggle against because the issue lies within.
The History
Douglas Laing is an independent bottler that was founded in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing after he acquired the rights to the King Of Scots Blend. Fred Sr. and his wife had two sons. Stewart Hunter Laing was born in 1946. Fred Hamilton Laing (Fred Jr.) was born in 1950. Both brothers eventually joined Fred Sr. working at Douglas Laing. Before that though, they both had apprenticeships at other Scotch Whisky companies; something that seems to be a hallmark of families who make Scotch Whisky their trade.
Stewart Laing joined his father Fred Sr. at Douglas Laing in 1967. He had previously apprenticed at Bruichladdich Distillery and other places within the industry. Stewart and his wife had their first son, Scott, in 1979. A few years later in 1982, their second son Andrew was born.
Fred Laing Jr's first apprenticeship was at Whyte and Mackay starting in 1968, where he learned all parts of whisky production and business, including the art of blending. From there he moved to White Horse Distillers in 1969 to further enhance his blending knowledge. In 1972, he officially joined his Father, Fred Sr., at the family business of Douglas Laing. In 1982, Fred Jr's daughter Cara was born.
Fred Sr., AKA Fred Douglas Laing; the founder of Douglas Laing & Co, passed away in 1984. It was then up to his sons to run the company on their own.
Splitting The Family Company
Brothers' Stewart and Fred Jr. quietly – or not so quietly – didn’t really get along. This eventually led the two to go their separate ways in 2013. Stewart Laing took with him some brands created at his former company such as Old Malt Cask and Old & Rare. Fred Laing Jr. kept the Douglas Laing and brands such as Big Peat, Old Particular, and of course, the exclusive rights to his fabulous moustache.
Fred Laing Jr. & daughter Cara Laing - the new Douglas Laing
Douglas Laing continued on, operating under Fred Jr's stewardship to this day. They have created some new labels since, focusing more on the Blends and Blended Malt side of things than Hunter Laing typically does. Fred Laing was joined by his daughter Cara at about the same time as the split.
Douglas Laing does bottle single casks of whisky under the Provenance, Old Particular and XOP labels. However, with Fred Jr's knowledge in blending and the brand King of Scots still in hand, the company has kept a big focus on blending, introducing an entire line of regional blended malts over the late 2010s. The company has dubbed this lineup The Remarkable Regional Malts of Scotland. These include:
The Douglas Laing company announced the acquisition of its first distillery in October 2019. The Strathearn Distillery, founded in 2013, is located near Methven in Perthshire. Technically located in the Southern Highlands, it is near the lowlands region and about an hour and a half drive from Douglas Laing's headquarters in Glasgow.
Stewart Laing & sons Scott and Andrew Laing form Hunter Laing
Hunter Laing was founded in 2013 by chairman Stewart Hunter Laing and his sons Andrew and Scott. Hunter Laing came to being from a dividing of assets owned by the company Douglas Laing & Co, which Stewart and his brother Fred Laing Jr. had operated together since Fred Laing Sr. – their father passed away in 1984.
The new company has more of a focus on Single Malt Whisky and often single casks than Douglas Laing, with new releases under Old Malt Cask, Old & Rare, Sovereign, The First Editions, and Hepburn's Choice hitting store shelves periodically. Regular releases as well as the mystery peated Islay Single Malt under the name Scarabus are also consistently available. Oh, and Hunter Laing also bottles rum under the wonderfully silly moniker Kill Devil.
Three years after the split, in 2016, Hunter Laing announced plans to build a distillery on Islay. The company’s Ardnahoe Distillery officially opened in 2019. The first Single Malt whisky releases from Ardnahoe hit shelves in 2024.
It is now more than a decade since Stewart and Fred Laing split the business and their progeny joined them in earnest. The brothers and their respective companies of Hunter Laing and Douglas Laing still show much of the whisky DNA that their father built into it, and them.
$123.99
Nothing goes together like A mouse, cheese, and... Madeira casks? This edition of the Timorous Beastie Blended Highland Malt Scotch from Douglas Laing is finished in Madeira casks and bottled at 48%.
Producer Description
"Expect the unexpected with this unique Timorous Beastie Madeira Finished Limited Edition! As Douglas Laing’s mighty mouse searches the globe to find the ultimate flavour profile to be paired with cheese, this latest release sees our classic Highland Malt carefully finished over several months in the finest, and most exquisite, Madeira casks releasing a new depth of character to our already sublime spirit. In true Douglas Laing style, this bottling is offered proudly without colouring or chill-filtration, allowing the natural spirit to exude the very best qualities straight from the cask.
The original Timorous Beastie, immortalised in Robert Burns’ famous Scots poem “To a Mouse” was a timid, little field mouse. Echoing our national bard’s wit, ours is most certainly not for the fainthearted! Inside there’s a medley of vanilla, malted barley, meringue, honey and citrus flavours just bursting to be unleashed… Part of the Remarkable Regional Malts range, the ultimate distillation of Scotland’s Malt Whisky Regions."
$154.99
Bottled to mark the 15th Anniversary of the Big Peat Blended Malt, this limited edition release was composed of malts predominantly matured in ex-Red Wine Casks. 50%.
Producer Description
"This Limited Edition has been bottled to celebrate Big Peat’s 15th Anniversary. Our renowned Whisky character has blended the finest Islay Single Malts, predominantly maturing the spirit in hand-selected Red Wine Casks. Released in a bespoke, giftable carton featuring 15 discoverable points about Big Peat, the Isle of Islay and the unique Whisky itself."
$124.99
Bottled at 46.8% after finishing in Plantation Caribbean Rum Casks.
Producer Description
"The wild, sea-salted shores of Scotland’s whisky islands are met by the warm and sun-soaked shores of the Caribbean in this limited-edition bottling. A new depth of character has been achieved by finishing our maritime spirit in Plantation Rum Casks predominantly from the Caribbean, including from the island countries of Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados."
$109.99
Limited Edition Whisky bottlings celebrating the Chinese New Year are so hot right now, guys! Move over, Johnnie Walker and Kavalan - Douglas Laing is getting in on the action with the Rock Island Year of the Dragon Edition.
Bottled at a pleasantly robust 54.8% ABV, this edition of Rock Island features a marriage of single malts from the Scottish Isles of Arran, Islay, Jura, and Orkney. Evan was somewhat disappointed at whisky from Mull not being included, but his mood improved thanks to the use of heavily charred casks for finishing.
From The Producer
"Honouring the importance that wood plays in the creation of Scotch Whisky, this edition of Rock Island has been finished in heavily charred casks, giving the spirit an opportunity to extract layer upon layer of rich flavour from the wood."
