February Whiskies of the Month - The Six Nations

For the month of February, we have chosen the annual Six Nations Rugby tournament as our theme. The competition takes place throughout the following months where Scotland will take on England, Wales, Ireland, Italy and France. Originally formed as the Home Nations Championship in 1883, the competition has blossomed over the years and converted to its current format in 2000 when Italy joined the Five Nations. The tournament sees Europe’s most successful national rugby sides, pitted against one another in friendly competition (or at least as friendly as rugby can be!).  

We have chosen whiskies with a connection to each of the six nations competing for your enjoyment. 

February Whiskies of the Month, six bottles of whisky and a Scottish flag.
Man O'Words bottle with Glencairn glass.

Man O’Words Refill Bourbon

Our Lowland is the Man O’Words refill bourbon. The Annandale distillery originally opened in 1836 but was closed in 1924. Despite the closure, the distillery was very well preserved and eventually began production again when it was bought by David Thompson and Teresa Church in 2007. The distillery has two main branches of their core range, the Man O’Swords and Man O’Words. Both highlight famous Scotsmen, with the words referencing Robert Burns, and in turn the peated Man O’Swords referencing Robert the Bruce. This whisky has been chosen for this month, since it is the closest Single malt Scotch to the border with our southern neighbours in England. With its whole maturation spent in refill bourbon casks, this whisky offers strong bursts of caramel and vanilla.  

Loch Lomond 14yo bottle with a copper pot still.

Loch Lomond 14 Year Old

Our featured Highland malt is the Loch Lomond 14 year old. The modern Loch Lomond distillery was opened in 1964. In 1993, two column stills were added to the site, allowing grain whisky to be produced there as well. At the time, this made Loch Lomond the only distillery to produce both single malt and grain whisky. In addition, two unique “Lomond” stills are housed on-site combining elements of both a column and pot stills. Our selection from their range is the 14 year old, finished in Limousin oak from France. Limousin oak is very popular for maturing Cognac and white wines as it releases tannins to the spirit at a much slower rate. When used for Scotch whisky, this allows for more delicate and nuanced flavours to be expressed. This expression embodies this, with a heavy character of citrus and tropical fruits.  

The Glen Grant 12yo bottle and a blue Glencairn glass.

The Glen Grant 12 Year Old

This month’s Speyside is The Glen Grant 12. The distillery was opened in 1840 by brothers, John and James Grant in the town of Rothes. This distillery’s link to the six nations comes through the story of Armando Giovinetti, an Italian businessman. In 1961, Douglas Mackessack, a descendant of the Grant brothers who founded the distillery, met with Giovinetti while he was visiting Speyside. Armando was aiming to import more Single malts into the Italian market, which at the time was dominated by blends. Luckily for Glen Grant and Mackessack, they were Giovinetti’s Scotch of choice. Armando bought several crates of the spirit to export back home and as a result, Glen Grant quickly became by far the biggest selling Single malt in Italy. Their popularity was so great, that Italian drinks giant, Campari eventually decided to buy the distillery from Chivas brothers in 2006. The 12 year old is light on the palate, with hints of trademark Speyside orchard fruits and honey.  

Laphroaig 10 bottle with an Irish flag and green Glencairn glass.

Laphroaig 10 Year Old

The representative from Islay on our February whiskies of the month is Laphroaig 10. One of the big names on the island, the distillery first opened in 1815. The 10 year old uses a mixture of bourbon and sherry casks and is heavily peated. This gives it an instantly recognisable smokiness and its famous medicinal quality. The distillery lies on the south coast of Islay, a mere stone’s throw from the town of Port Ellen and its fellow Single malt distilleries, Lagavulin and Ardbeg. Like our Lowland whisky, it’s reason for inclusion in this selection is geographical. On a rare clear day, on the south coast of Islay, one can just about see the northern coast of Ireland, roughly where the Giants Causeway lies.  

The Famous Grouse and a Scottish flag.

The Famous Grouse

Our Blend for this month is The Famous Grouse, the current bestselling Scotch whisky in Scotland. In modern times, the blend is owned by William Grant and sons, having been purchased from Edrington as recently as September 2024. The spirit sponsored the Scottish National Rugby team from 1990 to 2007 and is now their official spirit’s partner. Due to this link, it seemed only appropriate that the blend represent Scotland in this month’s six nations selection 

Glen Scotia bottle and red Glencairn glass.

Glen Scotia icons of Campbeltown 14 Year Old

And finally, our luxury option is the limited bottling Glen Scotia icons of Campbeltown 14. One of only three distilleries to have survived Campbeltown’s infamous decline since the 1900’s, Glen Scotia have been working tirelessly over the years to keep the “Wee Toon’s” whisky making traditions alive. Their “Icons of Campbeltown” range is a series of limited bottlings aiming to bring folklore from the region to life. Only the second release of the series, this peated 14 year old was finished for six months in Barolo red wine casks and then bottled at cask strength. A fiery whisky with bursts of spice and rich dried fruits. The whisky references the tale of Saint Michael who defeats a dragon in the book of revelation. In medieval times, it was widely believed that images of Saint Michael slaying the dragon would defend one from evil. And so, it is perhaps unsurprising that the image was carved onto the Campbeltown market cross in the centre of town. The clear link to our final of the six nations is the dragon, with one being proudly displayed on the flag of Wales. It is believed that Welsh kings first adopted the dragon in the early fifth century, after the Romans left Britain.