A recipe said to have travelled with a prince in flight, an inn on Skye and a Gaelic phrase about a dram that satisfies. Drambuie has had almost three hundred years to embroider its own story, and it has used them well.
The expert description
Drambuie is a Scotch Whisky Liqueur built on malt whisky from the Isle of Skye, sweetened with heather honey and seasoned with herbs and spices, bottled at 40%.
The story starts in July 1746. Prince Charles Edward Stuart was in flight after the defeat at Culloden, and on his way to the Isle of Skye he was helped by John MacKinnon of Clan MacKinnon. In return, the prince is said to have handed MacKinnon the recipe for his personal liqueur. By 1873 it could be had at The Broadford Hotel on Skye, where guests called it an dram buidheach, the dram that satisfies. The Ross family registered the name as a trademark twenty years later, and The Drambuie Liqueur Company was founded in 1914.
In 1916 Drambuie became the first liqueur admitted to the House of Lords, and it reached Buckingham Palace the following year. Prohibition in the United States and the Second World War came close to killing the brand off, but it survived. Drambuie is owned today by William Grant & Sons.
Tasting notes
Nose
Orange peel and honey first, then aniseed, saffron and a dry herbal edge that keeps the sweetness in check.
Palate
Oily and full. Honey, toffee and citrus settle first, then the malt whisky pushes through with spice and a clean acidity that lifts the whole thing.
Finish
Warm and long with nutmeg, clove and a final bitter orange note.
Specifications
Name: Drambuie
Producer: Drambuie
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Scotch Whisky Liqueur
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5010391100703
Serving suggestion: Neat over ice or in a Rusty Nail with Blended Scotch Whisky
Flavour profile
Sweet · Spiced · Honeyed · Citrus · Herbal
Did you know?
The name Rusty Nail only appeared in the 1960s at a club in New York, but the drink had been around for decades under other names, among them BIF, D and S and Little Club No. 1. It was only once bartenders settled on a single name that it truly caught on.
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