🥃 100 Pipers
100 Pipers is a Scotch blended whisky created in 1965 by Jimmy Lang and Alan Bailey. Light style built on Allt-a-Bhainne; strong in Thailand and India; run by Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard).
100 Pipers is a Scotch blended whisky created in 1965 by Jimmy Lang and Alan Bailey, a blender at Chivas Brothers. It was first launched for the United States, and later its centre of gravity moved to Asia. Today the brand is run by Chivas Brothers within Pernod Ricard. The name comes from a ballad about bagpipers.
History. According to Whiskypedia, the name refers to a ballad about a hundred pipers who supposedly led Bonnie Prince Charlie into battle during the 1745 uprising. In 1968 the name Seagram appeared on the label and the Scottish flag disappeared. In 1975 Seagram built the Allt-a-Bhainne distillery. Seagram owned the brand until 2001, when Pernod Ricard acquired Chivas Brothers. The year of creation is sometimes given as 1966.
How it is made. Whiskypedia describes the whisky as light, with notes of vanilla, dried fruit, a faint smoke and spice. The base is light Speyside malt from Allt-a-Bhainne, blended with grain whiskies. According to Whiskypedia, sales peaked at 3.4 million cases in 2005, and in India they passed 300,000 cases in 2011.
Range. A 12-year-old version appeared in 1986 and a 20-year-old in 1988; in 2005 an 8-year-old blended malt was launched in Thailand. Today the main version has no age statement.
Why it matters to you. The brand is especially strong in Thailand (launched 1993) and India (1995), where the whisky is bottled locally, so the recipe and strength can differ from market to market. Read the label. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | 1965 (Jimmy Lang, Alan Bailey; Seagram); some sources give 1966 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890) (blended Scotch whisky) |
| EU category | 2 - whisky/whiskey |
| Raw material | malt and grain whiskies; base is Allt-a-Bhainne (Speyside) |
| Cask type | oak casks; cask composition not specified in our sources |
| Minimum maturation | at least 3 years in oak by law; main version has no age statement |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | depends on the market (sources: 40-43%) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 100 Pipers → kind of → 🥃 Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Previous step
- 🥃 Pernod Ricard
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it contains
- 🧪 Water, 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 British
- Part of
- 🥃 Whisky, 🥃 Blended Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Scotch Whisky
- Related to
- 🥃 Speyside whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Chivas Regal, 🥃 Johnnie Walker, 🥃 Grant's, 🥃 Grant's, 🥃 Bell's, 🥃 Bell's, 🥃 Glen Scotia, 🥃 Glen Scotia
Frequently asked questions
Who created 100 Pipers and who owns it?
Jimmy Lang and Alan Bailey, a blender at Chivas Brothers, created it in 1965. It is run by Chivas Brothers within Pernod Ricard; Seagram owned it until 2001.
What ABV is 100 Pipers?
It depends on the market. Sources give 40 to 43% ABV, so check the label.
Is 100 Pipers still Scotch if it is bottled in India or Thailand?
The whisky is blended from Scottish components, and in Thailand and India it is bottled locally, according to Whiskypedia. Recipe and strength can differ from market to market.
Was 100 Pipers made for the US market?
It was first launched for the United States, and later its centre of gravity moved to Asia, where it is strongest today.
How is it served in a long drink?
Neat, with ice, or in a highball glass with soda; the light style suits long drinks.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden vessel made of oak staves in which wine matures, picks up new aromas and slowly takes in air.
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Scotch from a single distillery: only malted barley, water and yeast, distilled in pot stills; at least 3 years in oak, 40% ABV (80 proof in the US) or more. Not the same as single cask.
- 🧪 Water — ~87% of milk.
Similar
🥃 Black & White · 🥃 Benrinnes · 🥃 Dailuaine · 🥃 Allt-a-Bhainne · 🥃 Auchroisk · 🥃 Vat 69
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky (Scotland, oak up to 700 l, min. 3 years, min. 40 % ABV)
- Scotchwhisky.com (Whiskypedia): 100 Pipers (1965, Jimmy Lang and Alan Baillie, Seagram label 1968, Allt-a-Bhainne 1975, Thailand and India, Pernod Ricard)
- ScotchWhisky.net: 100 Pipers (created 1965 by Alan Baillie, Chivas Brothers, Pernod Ricard; ballad of Bonnie Prince Charlie)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)