On website
"The opinions of whisky lovers about the role of independent bottlers are quite different. Some think they are just parasites who misrepresent the brand image of the distilleries, as others consider that they represent a substantial appreciation and are an essential link in the world of single malt. Some would like them to disapear, and others only swear by them."
I'd like to know your opinions on this.
Marjon
Ha ha ha ha ha! Parasites! What a flipping joke. Who on earth came up with that about "whisky lovers"?
I've had versions of many of my favorite whiskies that are absolutely heads and tails above the official distillery bottlings--not only that, but how on earth can anybody possibly be AGAINST diversity, variety, and wider opportunity?
What a friggin' joke. I can't imagine ANYbody who is actually a consumer of whisky and not invested in a very anal way in one distillery or conglomerate or another who things that a wider variety of expressions can be a negative in any way, shape, or form. "Oh--I am so worried that a distillery might be "misrepresented"!!!" What a pile of bollocks.
As usual, a posting from a true expert. Dougie boy, why don't you just keep quiet. This ng would be such a nice place if you wouldn't open your gob all the time!
Thanks for considering my request!
Actually, I think Douglas is quite right, I had the same reaction to the original message. Independent bottlers offer more variety and lots of special bottlings that you would otherwise never see. There's really no reason for a "whisky lover" to dislike that, and I've certainly never heard of one who does. (Of course, some might _prefer_ official bottlings because the quality is usually more predictable.)
On the other hand, some whisky _producers_ don't like it when the name of their distillery gets used on independent bottlings, but from the whisky lover's point of view it is of course very nice to know where the whisky is coming from. Thus the sometimes used term "bastard bottling" for indepedents that don't disclose the origin of the whisky.
Some of the very best Whisky I have ever had has come from Indie bottlers ... as well as some of the very worst. Mostly though they keep me interested, were it not for the Indies I don't think there would be nearly as many options on own bottlings from the variouls distilleries...
Some of the very best Whisky I have ever had has come from Indie bottlers ... as well as some of the very worst. Mostly though they keep me interested, were it not for the Indies I don't think there would be nearly as many options on own bottlings from the variouls distilleries...
I am very interessed by this discussion being the author of the discussed sentence. I'm rather surprised to see how some people can discuss a lot about a single phrase out of context. Of course, this does not reflect my own opinion. I'd really appreciate if people who are just laughing about this sentence could read the entire article on the site, and eventually have a look on the page relating my meeting with Stewart Laing (Laing Brothers)... Or may be even have a look on my own tasting notes. Just to realize I am a great lover of independant bottlings. But who dares to say that this opinion is not present on the market? How many times didn't I hear or read that independant bottlers are just parasites? Further information available on
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