Scallywag Small Batch Release Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky

A well-tuned orchestra.

Douglas Laing & Co. was founded in 1948 by none other than Douglas Laing, and is now run by his two sons. They specialize in the finest craft Scotch Whisky stocks from all over Scotland and bottle them without coloring or chill-filtration, establishing themselves as the go-to guys when it comes to high-quality blended malt Whisky.

Their Scallywag is a Small Batch Whisky created exclusively from single malts of the Speyside region – which is in fact home to the majority of Scottish distilleries. The malts used in Scallywag include Mortlach, Macallan, Inchgower and Glenrothes, and many of these Whiskies are matured in ex-Sherry Butts, giving the richly spiced Scallywag its dark color and Sherry sweetness. Douglas Laing & Co. will tell you that if a single malt is a violin, then a blended malt is the whole orchestra – and this one is definitely well-tuned.

Smartass corner: Chill-filtration is a procedure that removes chemical compounds such as esters, proteins and acids from the Whisky by cooling it to approximately zero degrees Celsius, causing the compounds to precipitate out of the Whisky and trapping them in a filter. While some consider these compounds impurities (or simply unpleasant to the eye), purists, however, insists that removing them also removes additional flavor and texture.