Wee Smoky – a whisky for people who don’t like whisky

WHISKY industry veteran Rory Gammell has launched a bottle of Scotch – for people who don’t like whisky.

Wee Smoky is made by ageing single grain whisky in a cask that used to hold peated single malt.

Gammell describes the result as “smooth, fruity, and lightly smoky”.

His initial run of 400 bottles went on sale yesterday on his website, with wider distribution due around the middle of next year.

After living in San Francisco, Gammell returned to Scotland to work for Edrington, the company that makes Famous Grouse, Highland Park, and The Macallan.

“I recognised that, while marketers were focused on single malts, experts really rated the potential of grain whisky when paired with the right casks,” he explained.

“So, I began experiments with different grain whiskies in a variety of peated casks until I found what I was looking for.

“I’m very proud of both the bottle we’ve created and the cask we’ve bottled.

“I’m also excited by the reaction from non-whisky drinkers who have tried it both neat and in cocktails during testing.”

Gammell has teamed up with other industry experts for his latest venture, including distiller Ollie Salvesen, who has worked at Kilchoman and Hollyrood distilleries.

Pickering’s Gin founder and head distiller Matt Gammell has also been involved in the project.

Gammell remained tight-lipped over which distillery supplied the cask for his whisky, but he said the grain whisky had been distilled in Edinburgh.

That means it was probably made at the North British Distillery in Gorgie, which is owned jointly by Edrington and Diageo, Scotland’s biggest distiller and the company behind brands including Bell’s, J&B, and Johnnie Walker.

Read more news and reviews on Scottish Field’s whisky pages.