Most people know the Crabbie name from ginger wine. Fewer know the Leith house also sold whisky — and that bottles from those days still turn up with the carton intact.
Expert description
Crabbie 8 years Blended Old Scotch Whisky is a Blended Scotch Whisky matured for at least 8 years and bottled at 43%.
John Crabbie & Co was founded in Edinburgh in the early 1800s and became world famous for its green ginger wine, but the house also traded and blended whisky. This release comes with its original carton, which makes a noticeable difference to a collector, since packaging was rarely kept. The 43% strength and the eight year age statement place it in an era when blends were still bottled with a little more body than today.
Tasting notes
Nose
Malt and dried fruit first, then honey, pale caramel and a dusty note from the years in glass.
Palate
Round and malty. Raisin, orange peel, cereal and a little vanilla, with a warm spiced edge from the 43%. The mouthfeel is softer than today's standard blends.
Finish
Medium and dry, with malt, nuts and a lightly smoked close.
Specifications
Name: Crabbie 8 years Blended Old Scotch Whisky with carton 43%
Distillery: Crabbie
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 43 %
Size: 70 CL
Edition: With carton
Flavour profile
Soft · Malty · Dried Fruit · Honeyed · Lightly Spiced
Investment potential
High. A discontinued release with an age statement and the original carton intact. Older blends carrying eight years on the label have become a niche collectors actively hunt.
Did you know?
John Crabbie began as a wine merchant and importer in Leith, Edinburgh's port. It was the harbour that gave access both to ginger from Asia and to the casks that later became whisky — two businesses grown from the same quayside.
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