List of Independent Whisky Bottlers
What is an independent whisky bottler?
Independent whisky bottlers buy casks of whisky from distilleries and bottle them under their own label. While they don't distill the whisky, they do manage the flavour of the whisky by depending how long to mature it for, and sometimes using cask finishes to add additional layers of flavour.
What do independent whiskey bottlers do?
Independent whisky bottlers look for the best whiskies. They're looking for whiskies that either showcase the very best of a particular distillery, or that are unique examples of bold, different flavours. They carefully taste a range of single casks, before choosing only those that meet their high standards.
They can then choose to either bottle their chosen casks straightaway under their own independent labels. or, they can choose to further enhance the flavour of the whisky by ageing it in their warehouses for longer, or moving the whisky to another cask (known as re-racking) to add an additional layer of flavour.
Indy bottlers often, but not always, bottle at higher alcohol strength, including natural cask strength. Generally speaking, they do not use chill filtration, or add caramel colouring, choosing instead to keep their whiskies natural.
Unique whiskies from indy brands
Here at TopWhiskies.com we love independent whisky bottlers (you can read about some of our favourites indies here). We find they're a great source of top quality single malt scotch whiskies at fair prices. There are plenty of unique offerings, single cask expressions, and interesting maturation techniques. Plus, these independent brands are often run by small teams of passionate individuals; so, in buying their whiskies you're supporting both them and their families.
We're proud to support some great independent bottlers, and you can find the independent whisky bottlers we stock here. But there's a wide world of choice out there, so here's a directory list of independent bottlers.
List of independent whisky bottlers, in alphabetical order.
- Adelphi Selection
- AD Rattray
- Artful Dodger
- Berry Brothers & Rudd (BB&R)
- Blackadder
- Càrn Mòr
- Chapter 7 Whisky
- Cheaper By The Dram
- Chorlton Whisky
- Compass Box
- Douglas Laing
- Duncan Taylor
- DS Tayman
- Fable Whisky
- Gleann Morr Spirits
- Gordon & Macphail
- Great Drams
- Hart Brothers
- Hunter Laing
- Hidden Spirits
- Ian Macleod
- Imperial Tribute
- James Eadie
- James MacArthur
- Lady of The Glen
- Little Brown Dog Spirits
- Lombard Scotch Whisky
- MacKillop's Choice
- Malts of Scotland
- Murray McDavid
- Na Braithrean
- Peg Whisky
- Rest and Be Thankful
- Roger's Whisky Company
- Samaroli
- Samuel Gulliver & Co
- Scotch & Tattoos
- Scott's Selection
- Secret Spirits
- Signatory
- Single Cask Nation
- Single Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)
- Single Note Whisky
- Skene Scotch Whisky
- Speciality Brands Ltd
- Spiritfilled
- Swell De Spirits
- That Boutique-y Whisky Company
- The Firkin Whisky Co
- The Single Cask
- The Whisky Baron
- The Whisky Cellar
- The Vintage Malt Whisky Company
- Uncharted Whisky Company
- Valinch & Mallet
- Watt Whisky
- Waxhouse Whisky Co
- Wemyss Malts
- Whisky Art Journey
- Whisky Broker
- Whisky Is The Limit
- William Cadenhead's
- Wilson and Morgan
How to bottle your own whiskies?
Many whisky lovers dream of producing their own whisky, and the most realistic way of achieving this dream is to become an independent bottler. While there are still costs involved, and many things to get right, becoming an indie bottler is easier than building your own distillery. If you'd like to find out more, read our guide to making your own whisky here, which looks at five points to consider:
- Why do you want to make your own whisky?
- How many bottles do you want?
- What type of base spirit do you want to use?
- What type of cask do you want your whisky matured in, and where will you store it?
- Things to think about when bottling your whisky
Get in touch
If you'd like to add an independent whisky bottler to the list (last updated May 2022), or if you yourself are an independent bottler and you're interested in learning more about what we do here at TopWhiskies, do get in touch, you can email Ed here: ed@topwhiskies.com.