Scotland, Speyside. Distillery operational. Owners: Chivas Brothers Ltd, Pernod Ricard

Glen Grant is a textbook case in the history of the Scotch whisky industry. For decades (and still to this day), the distillery's official label was found on both independent bottlings and the distillery's own bottlings. Some of the most active independent bottlers in the 50s and 60s included Gordon & MacPhail, Campbell, Hope & King (which also worked with Macallan for the bottling and distribution of its malt), Cadenhead, Robert Watson and R Moray Bonding. The result is a multitude of available versions, making it an enthralling dram to collect. As Glen Grant was a blender's malt (Chivas Regal, 100 Pipers, etc.), its owners concentrated on a more classic maturation method characterized by bourbon. Gordon & MacPhail for their part decided to specialize in versions aged exclusively in ex-sherry casks. It was a smart move and their vintages casks became highly prized by whisky enthusiasts and collectors across the world.

A Glen Grant single cask (#50896) distilled in 1988 and bottled by John McDougall for the Whisky Life series after 14 years’’ maturation in a bourbon cask. John McDougall was a key figure in the whisky industry, working for almost 20 years at distilleries such as Springbank, Laphroaig and Balvenie. In 2002, he launched a series of single malts, often bottled from single casks, under the name John McDougall’’s Whisky Life Series. A limited edition of 156 bottles.