Bell's Original

Volume: 1 litre | Alcohol content: 40% | Chill filtration: Yes

Special Features:

Bell’s Original brings together Scottish malt and grain whiskies in a 1-litre bottle at 40% alcohol. Blair Athol supplies the principal malt component, while whiskies from Caol Ila, Glenkinchie, Dufftown and Inchgower also contribute to the blend. Sweet cereal and fruit shape its approachable character, with herbs, mild spice and a subtle trace of smoke providing contrast.

The practice of combining different malts goes back to Arthur Bell, who selected whiskies for his blends in 19th-century Scotland. In Bell’s Original, honey, caramel and toasted cereal give the fruity, spicy profile its sweet side.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Fresh malt, cut herbs and honey give the nose a soft opening, followed by green apple and caramel. A very faint note of peat smoke stays in the background.
• Palate: Toasted cereal, vanilla and brown sugar give a rounded impression, joined by fruitcake and mild spices.
• Finish: The short to medium-length finish combines sweet malt with toasted hazelnut, a delicate woody note and a light trace of smoke.

Distillery/Bottler:

Blair Athol has produced whisky in Pitlochry since 1798 and supplies the principal malt component for Bell’s Original. The distillery uses water from the Allt Dour and unpeated malt. Its yeast contributes to the whisky’s nutty and fruity notes, and fermentation takes around 50 hours. Bell’s is part of Diageo’s whisky portfolio.

Facts: