Features
Name:
James Eadie's X Blend in a case
Cellar
James Eadie (1827-1904) was a Scottish brewer who founded an important brewery in 1854. Born near Gleneagles in Scotland into a family of 14 children, he left school at the age of fourteen to earn a living.
Reported in the local newspapers as a self-made man, Mr Eadie was a quiet individual whose hard work and indomitable perseverance enabled him and his family to live well.
Apart from beer, the Eadie family had their own recipe for a Blended Scotch Whisky. Only a few bottles of James Eadie's original whisky remain. As far as we know, they are all in the hands of the family.
The Scottish British whisky and beer critic of the time, Alfred Barnard, visited the Eadie brewery and wrote about his findings in his famous book, 'Famous Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland', (Volume 2, 1889).
Barnard reveals how Mr James Eadie had inherited, from his father, a recipe for a Scotch whisky blend that he describes as "an'ancient Scottish blend that was dispensed to a privileged few". Indeed, the whisky was distributed quite widely, being available in over 300 of James Eadie's pubs.
Today:
Rupert Patrick (CEO of James Eadie and chairman of WhiskyInvestDirect) is a great-grandson of James Eadie.
In 1991, after three years in the wine trade, he moved to Edinburgh to become Export Manager for an'independent Scotch whisky company.
He worked for Macleod Distillers for fourteen years before moving to Beam Suntory (Laphroaig, Teacher's, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark) and then to Diageo where he was Commercial Director for Africa, managing Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky and Guinness.
Rupert is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers. He is a keeper of the Quaich and has extensive knowledge of the Scotch whisky industry.
Description
An extraordinary blend requires only three things: exceptional whiskies, carefully selected wood and years of experience. None of these three elements can fail. One cannot be in a hurry. Because the art of blending, like whisky itself, improves with age.
Organoleptic characteristics:
Colour: Golden yellow, topaz reflections.
Nose: Smoky notes of caramel and peat, immediately followed by notes of sultanas and sherry. A light saline trail closes.
Taste: satisfying sip, on the palate it is dense and soft, rich and juicy, sweet and fluffy, characterised by notes of bitter chocolate, roasted coffee, plums and peat.
Storage time:
over 20 years
Vinification
vinification in American oak or sherry casks
Acknowledgements
2018 World Whiskies Awards gold medal