Snow Grouse Brings Whisky into the 21st Century

Grouse's New Whisky is a Subtle, yet Brave Product

Aug 24, 2009

In July Famous Grouse whisky brand launched Snow Grouse, the newest member of its world famous range of Scottish whisky products. It is the first scotch designed to be s

The manufacturers claim the latest addition will offer “a completely new taste sensation”, and they’re right. Snow Grouse whisky’s taste is so smooth and subtle it is best served on the rocks - with ice. Adding mixers or even water almost completely dilutes this whisky’s unique flavour, although it will undoubtedly work well as the base for a cocktail drink.

Changes When Chilled

At room temperature the whisky has a light, sweet taste, which is enhanced when the scotch is served chilled. The vanilla undertones are more obvious, and the liquid takes on a completely different viscosity. When chilled the liquid thickens slightly, so when it is poured into a glass it appears to have the consistency of a liqueur such as Crème de Menthe or Tia Maria.

Unique Frosted Bottle Design

Snow Grouse’s pale straw colour is much lighter than the rich amber of most whisky blends. The litre bottle containing this scotch is an unusual frosted bottle, featuring a clear glass window with the image of a snow grouse against the magnificent Cuillin Mountains on the Isle of Skye.

Targeting New Markets

The smoothness and unique flavour of this new whisky appears to be aimed at the younger market - those whose preferred choice of drink veers toward clear spirits like vodka or gin. Women may also find Snow Grouse an appealing change from their regular choice. People who don’t like the strong smell of whisky will find a glass of Snow Grouse served straight from the freezer offers no smell.

International law requires any whisky sold as scotch be matured in oak casks for a minimum of three years and one day. Snow Grouse whisky is made from grain spirit, and is gently chill filtered after distillation.

Toughest Bird in Britain

The snow grouse, or ptarmigan, is reputedly “the toughest bird in Britain”. This game bird lives in the highest mountains in the Scottish Highlands, adding an extra layer of white feathers to its normally brown mottled plumage in winter to help it survive the severe weather conditions. Ptarmigan are also found in North America, Greenland, Northern Europe and Japan.

Since 1980 Famous Grouse has been Scotland’s best-selling whiskey brand, with annual worldwide sales in excess of 30 million bottles. Snow Grouse is being sold exclusively for the first six months since its launch through selected duty free retailers, which means this unusual and very subtle scotch whisky should be available worldwide from January 2010.

The copyright of the article Snow Grouse Brings Whisky into the 21st Century in Liquor is owned by Sarah Todd. Permission to republish Snow Grouse Brings Whisky into the 21st Century in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.