The Famous Grouse

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The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended Scotch whisky, first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd. in 1897, and now produced by The Edrington Group. The malt whiskies used in The Famous Grouse blend include The Glenrothes, Highland Park Single Malt and Macallan Single Malt. Its emblem is the Red Grouse.

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[edit] History

Matthew Gloag was grocer and wine merchant in Perth, Scotland. Gloag purchased whiskies from distilleries around Scotland, and when Queen Victoria visited Perth in 1842, he was invited to supply the wines for the royal banquet.

In 1860 his son William Gloag took over the company and began producing blended whiskies. In 1896 William's son Matthew, named after his grandfather, took over the company. He created The Grouse Brand blend in 1897, which was later renamed "The Famous Grouse".

In 1970 the still family owned Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd. company was sold to Highland Distillers, after the chairman Matthew Frederick Gloag died.

[edit] Trivia

  • It is supported by a series of award winning television adverts featuring "Gilbert" the Grouse, named after the rugby ball manufacturer.
  • The Famous Grouse was the primary sponsor of the Scotland national rugby union team from 1990 until 2007.
  • The Famous Grouse is the drink of choice for several characters in The Corps, a series of novels by W. E. B. Griffin.
  • In 2007 a peated special version of The Famous Grouse called The Black Grouse developed for the Swedish market was released.[1]
  • Along with Coca-Cola, The Famous Grouse has become known in the United Kingdom for focusing a great deal of its advertising at Christmas.[citation needed]

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1] In Swedish.

[edit] External links