VAT 69 750 ML

Description

VAT 69 is a well-known and old brand of blended whisky. Sir Ernest Shackleton chose this whisky to accompany him on his expedition to Antarctica in 1914, both for medicinal purposes and to celebrate. Captain Lewis Nixon of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, featured in the book and TV series Band of Brothers, also favored VAT 69 whisky.

It contains 40% alcohol by volume.

The story of VAT 69 whisky begins in 1882 when William Sanderson prepared one hundred casks of blended whisky and had experts taste them. The batch from cask number 69 was judged to be the best, giving the whisky its brand name. Initially, it was bottled in port bottles.

In 1884, Sanderson purchased the Glen Garioch distillery, which was strategically located in the middle of a barley field. This distillery ensured a steady supply of grain whisky for VAT 69.

To maintain a variety of products for blending, Sanderson, along with Usher and Bell, founded the North British Distillery to produce grain whisky. Sanderson also sourced some malt whiskies for blending from his friend, John Begg, who owned the Royal Lochnagar distillery. When Begg passed away, Sanderson became the director of Begg’s distillery. In 1933, Sanderson’s company merged with Booth’s Distilleries, which, in turn, merged with the DCL group in 1935.

In 1980, “Vat 69 Reserve” from the House of Sanderson made its debut in England. The distinctive Vat 69 bottle with a bulbous neck remained unchanged for a century, becoming a symbol of the brand’s history and tradition.