Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Have just tried (Spanish edition) ... Vat 69

vat 69 bottlesVat 69 is a blended whisky that was first produced in 1882 by a man called William Sanderson. He owned a whisky liqueur company in Leith, Edinburgh and decided to branch out in to the area of blended whiskies in 1880, which was a time when the blended whisky sales were booming in Scotland. As the story goes, Sanderson decided to produce 100 casks of blended whisky, each with its own style and subtle difference. He then assembled a panel of judges comprising of friends, family, business associates and reknowned master blenders, asking them to taste and mark each one. The whisky from cask number 69 received the highest score, so the name Vat 69 was born. Sanderson started the production in 1882.

The blend contains a complex mix of 40 different single malts and grain whiskies and the exact combination remains a closely guided secret. This has evolved over the years from Sanderson's original blend that was built heavily around the two distilleries that he owned - Glen Garioch (pronounced glen-gear-ee) for its single malt and North British for its grain whisky content. The Vat 69 brand is now owned by drinks giant Diageo, with most stock exported from the UK. Its main markets around the world are Spain, Greece, Venezuela and Australia. Vat 69 is also popular in India, where it has regularly featured in Bollywood movies since the 1950s which has fuelled its sales there massively.

The colour is light with a brownish tinge and the nose is slightly rough but then improves slightly with time. It is full of different cereal grains (think of malted barley, corn and maize) and sugary caramel, with a distinct fake fruit sweetness (imagine peardrop sweets - this is a classic indication that some young whisky is present in the blend). Not a great start but as stated it does improve with some vanilla coming through. On the palate, this feels medium to light bodied and slightly buttery in the mouth. Again, there are lots of cereal notes (almost too much as it gives a touch of herbal bitterness to the whisky) and that sweet sugary caramel. The finish has very little length and is sweet (almost sickly), then turns bitter and woody before leaving a raw alcoholic burn in your mouth and throat.

Vat 69 lacks any real complexity and clearly contains some young whiskies. While this keeps the production costs and subsequent retail costs down, it does add a slightly unpleasant edge to the blend when drunk neat. Having said that, it was better with a mixer and gave the required impact to the drink. It would also be good with ice, as the extra coldness would take away some of the spirity alcohol. Both of these make it perfect for warm weather climates, so it is easy to see why Vat 69 is so popular in the countries listed above. This exported version that we tried on our recent trip to Spain is different to the UK version, which has a slightly higher percentage of single malts involved. In the UK a bottle should cost between £15-20, although it is much cheaper in Spain where our bottle cost €9!

7 comments:

Mickey said...

Just wanted to say I like your blog. I have only been exploring the world of whisky for only a short time & have become very passionate about it. Thanks for all the great info.

Mickey
www.TheWhiskyTrench.com

Carl said...

Question: I tried Vat 69 while vacationing in the Dominican Republic and really enjoyed it. Now I'm back home in Minnesota and can't find it anywhere - does anyone know how/where to purchase it?

Anonymous said...

Try this http://www.liquorone.com/vat69sc75.html

Valantin said...

You know what(vat)? I just want to have the meaning of V.A.T(Very Attractive T... ?)
I confirm this Whisky was well known in the sixty's when i live in Algeria and now I buy it in Spane at the border with France.
Thanks a lot for your site.

Unknown said...

Hi,
very good tasting you make from VAT 69 ! To much cereal grain! Last 15 years the quality of Sandersons Whisky goes down!!
Thanks Diageo.....
I guess the Maltcontens in Vat 69 is not more than 10-15% from very young ( max 6-7 years) cheap Garioch and Ben Nevis Single Malts from the 4 fill batches!!

Tally Training said...

Thank You for sharing these with the rest of us!!very helpful.

Michael said...

I have no idea if this email is landing in the appropriate in-box but I hope the message is received by whoever has changed the blending of VAT 69. Overnight it's character was changed to 'just another cheap whiskey'. I am a 66 year old male living in Cape Town (ex-UK for 40 years). I have been a fan of VAT 69 for many years but just before last Christmas I find the bottle livery changed by the addition of some bright red trimming and the TASTE!! Definitely not the same, I have no idea why you must change a winning formulae but you have lost a customer (surely I am not the only one with taste buds!) I apologise if this email seems aggressive but I am angry that in this age of push button gratification and media manipulation that the quiet satisfaction of enjoying my favourite whiskey has been destroyed. Would appreciate a response if you have the time.

Regards,
Michael.
Cape town.