🥃 Black Dog
Scotch blended whisky brand with history back to 1883, best known in India; owner United Spirits Limited, a Diageo subsidiary; versions from 8 to 21 years.
Black Dog is a Scotch blended whisky that most drinkers in the UK or US will know less well than those in India, where it is best known. The brand has a history going back to 1883, and its owner is United Spirits Limited, a Diageo subsidiary. According to reference sources, the base versions are about 42.8% ABV, but check the label: strength and age depend on the version and the market.
History. The whisky was first created by a blending family in Leith, and the name of its representative is written in sources as MacKinlay or McKinley. The origin of the name is explained by legends: according to one, the brand is named after the favourite fishing fly of Sir Walter Millar; there is no documentary confirmation. The trademark now belongs to United Spirits.
How it is made. The blend consists of single malt and grain whiskies. According to reference sources, it is blended in Scotland and bottled in India, where the bottling was moved in 1992; check the label for details. For the 21-year-old version, master blender Richard Paterson combined 25 single malt and grain whiskies, mostly from Speyside, aged 21 years in oloroso casks from Spanish bodegas; only 3,540 bottles were released.
Range. It includes Black Reserve (8 years, formerly Centenary), Gold Reserve (12 years), 18 years and the limited Quintessence (21 years).
Why this matters to you. This is a blend, not a single malt. The age on the label is that of the youngest whisky in the bottle. Check the bottling country and the strength on the label of your market. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | 1883, Leith, a blending family (the surname is written MacKinlay or McKinley); bottling in India since 1992 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890) (Blended Scotch Whisky) |
| EU category | 2 - whisky/whiskey |
| Raw material | single malt and grain whiskies; in the 21-year-old version - mostly from Speyside |
| Cask type | oak casks; for the 21-year-old version - oloroso casks from Spain |
| Minimum maturation | at least 3 years in oak by law; versions from 8 to 21 years |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | about 42.8% vol. according to reference sources; check the label |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Black Dog → kind of → 🥃 Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Previous step
- 🥃 Diageo
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🍷 Sherry
- 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
- 🥃 Johnnie Walker, 🥃 Bell's, 🥃 Bell's, 🥃 Haig, 🥃 Haig, 🥃 Tamdhu, 🥃 Tamdhu, 🥃 Mortlach, 🥃 Mortlach
Frequently asked questions
Is Black Dog a Scotch whisky, and where is it bottled?
It is a blend of Scotch whiskies. According to reference sources, it is blended in Scotland and bottled in India for that market, so check the bottling country on the label.
Why is Black Dog better known in India than in the UK or US?
It is a Scotch blend whose main market is India, where it is bottled, and its owner is a Diageo subsidiary.
What do Black Reserve and Gold Reserve mean?
Black Reserve is the new name of the 8-year-old Centenary; Gold Reserve is 12 years.
Where does the name Black Dog come from?
A legend about a favourite fishing fly; there is no documentary confirmation.
What ABV is Black Dog?
About 42.8% according to reference sources, but check the label for your market.
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.
- 🍷 Sherry — Protected wine from the Jerez de la Frontera area of Andalusia, aged in oak casks in the solera system; 14 to 22 % alcohol.
Similar
🥃 Benrinnes · 🥃 Dailuaine · 🥃 100 Pipers · 🥃 Black & White · 🥃 Tamdhu · 🥃 Auchroisk
⚠️ 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.
What it includes
Sources
- Sommelier India: USL launches Black Dog 21 Year (Black Dog, Leith blending family, 25 Speyside malts and grains, Oloroso sherry butts, 3,540 bottles; United Spirits)
- Effective Design: Black Dog Scotch Whisky redesign for Diageo India (bottled in India, market share growth)
- 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)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)