Whisky blender raising the spirit of a family hero
A WHISKY blender is turning back the clock and recreating a Scotch last produced by his great-grandfather just before the start of the Second World War.
Alasdair Day, from Livingston, recently recreated the Tweeddale Blend – an old matured blended Scotch whisky.
The whisky was previously blended by Mr Day's great-grandfather, Richard Day, who worked his way up from office boy to business owner at J & A Davidson – a former Borders-based brewers and whisky blenders, which became Richard Day in 1923.
The late Mr Day produced the Tweeddale Blend in Coldstream by the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders until 1939, which was just one of many whiskies blended by the company.
Mr Day inherited his great-grandfather's original cellar book, which is around 130 years old and contains all the details of the Tweeddale Blend, as well as other whiskies blended by the business.
The 44-year-old said: "It was always a family conversation, we always talked about producing the whisky again, so I thought we should at least look at it. It was around December 2008 and one thing led to another."
The father-of-four, who is senior quality manager for Lactalis McLelland in Glasgow, founded Stonedean Limited in Livingston in January last year to recreate the Tweeddale Blend using the cellar book.
The book features recipes for whisky blends dating from 1899-1916.
He even managed to source the original trademarks, and although he hasn't been able to find an original bottle, he hasn't given up hope of one turning up.
With the help of a specialist blending and bottling company, Mr Day's first batch of 1,252 bottles was released at the end of May. At 46 per cent, the Tweeddale Blend – which is now being sold by Loch Fyne Whiskies of Inveraray for 26.50 – is slightly stronger than most whiskies.
Mr Day, who also hopes to sell the whisky via retailers in the future, said: "Everyone I have spoken to is quite delighted and obviously they are all after a bottle.
"I'm certainly quite pleased and now I want to get on and sell them – I have to do the next step."
Although a number of bottles have already been snapped up by the public, Mr Day added: "The real test will be what people who taste it for a living think."
Now that he's got the taste for it, Mr Day hasn't ruled out recreating more of his great-grandfather's blends. "I think there's possibilities there," he said.
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Friday 18 May 2012
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