“WE ARE perhaps the first generation of whisky maker in Scotland to enter the industry without the innate belief that Scotch is superior simply because it is from Scotland.”
With that seismic statement, Edinburgh-based blending studio Woven has launched Superblend, a ‘global whisky’ made up of liquid elements from Scotland, England, Ireland, Germany and the USA.
Headed by Duncan McRae and Peter Allison, Woven was formed during the pandemic, and has since released several lauded limited edition whiskies, but Superblend is to be its first permanently available product ‘blended across borders’.
Superblend is in fact made up of 11 whiskies, ranging from three to 22 years in age, from those five countries. Each cask involved in the blend was hand-selected solely for flavour regardless of its location, said Woven, and the result is a ‘rich, textured whisky greater than the sum of its parts’.
Woven’s Mr Allison said: “Freeing whisky from geographical constraints allowed us to play with flavour and texture combinations that aren’t considered possible in Scotch whisky making.
“We brought together the candied fruit sweetness from the US and paired it with the smooth velveteen texture of Irish whisky and a distinctive organic ‘funk’ from Germany. The English whisky is a robust counter point provided by the sherry cask it was matured in while lightly peated, honeyed Scotch brings familiarity and structure.”
Although it contains a high proportion of Scotch Whisky – nearly 70% – Superblend had to be produced outside of Scotland to comply with the regulation that the only whisky you can make in Scotland is Scotch.
Woven said that being ‘liberated’ from these rules allowed it to be fully transparent about the formulation of the blend, as well as opening up a world of whisky distilleries and creative options.
The launch of this borderless whisky is a development backed by consumer data, claimed the company, which identified a ‘general shift in mindset’ and consumption habits which in turn is driving the growth of a ‘new world’ whisky movement.
“The new generation of whisky drinker is more curious and open minded,” said Allison. “They’re less likely make their whisky choice based solely on heritage and are actively seeking out new, interesting flavour experiences.”
Allison also noted that while Single Malts had been successfully established as the industry’s premium product, trust in the quality of blends had been eroded over recent decades.
Woven want to change that by ‘elevating the craft’ of blending – and the firm has got off to a good start, recently winning the ‘Best in Category’ Award in the World Whisky Awards.
