What Is an Independent Bottler?

We own a large number of casks and we are always buying more so we have a wide variety to choose from for bottling now and also to lay down for future releases. The selection of casks, in addition to being a fun part of the job, is key for us to select high quality whisky with a varied range of ages, cask types and distillery styles.

We don’t get distracted by things like the age of the whisky or whether it was distilled at a fashionable distillery. We bottle what we want, when we want and we make the decision based on taste because we care most about the quality of the dram. The entire Cadenhead’s team is involved along the way – during purchasing, reracking, vatting, sampling or any of the many other steps taken to get a Cadenhead’s bottle on the shelves. 

Since we are the oldest Independent Bottler in Scotland (you can read about our history here INSERT LINK TO HISTORY PAGE), we have an even greater incentive than most to ensure we maintain high standards when selecting our spirits since we have our distinguished history and tradition to live up to. 

We monitor the quality of the whisky and may choose to transfer it to another cask to alter the whisky’s flavour profile or we could select it for blending if we think it works best when combined with another whisky we own. Storing our casks in our own warehouses in Campbeltown gives us the luxury of time, and complete control over every stage of the maturation process. We will only bottle a cask when we feel it is ready, and believe it has reached its full potential.

Although it is very easy for us to bottle an attractive whisky from a big name distillery we also take pride in finding hidden gems from perhaps lesser known distilleries and these decisions take patience, knowledge and a lot of hard work.

Independent Bottlers give consumers experiences they might not get anywhere else. Some distilleries don’t release single malts, for example, so we can give you the opportunity to try something new, rare and different. Also, there are examples of distilleries who do release their own single malts but only using certain cask types or at specific, limited, age ranges – Independent Bottlers can break the mold and allow you to try your old favourites with a new twist.

Independent Bottlers like Cadenhead’s are vital for providing additional variety and creativity to our industry – meaning that there is always something out there for everyone.