Whisky Focus - Douglas Laing Double Barrel Gets A Rebrand

I am sure the seasoned Scotch malt whisky drinkers amongst you would have had a bottle or two of Douglas Laing's Double Barrel in the past, a limited edition range of blended malt whiskies with each release containing a blend of just two Scotch single malt whiskies.

Personally I can recall a few outstanding Douglas Laing Double Barrel releases over the years such as a stunning Double Barrel Ardbeg & Glenrothes 10 Year Old, a Double Barrel Highland Park & Bowmore and a Double Barrel Macallan & Laphroaig. There were many outstandingly good two distillery combo's put together and released by Douglas Laing over the years, but perhaps not so many releases in recent times which has perhaps prompted this rebrand of the Douglas Laing Double Barrel range which they announced today.

Going forward the Douglas Laing Double Barrel range will feature just two core bottlings, sadly there will no longer be a continuous limited release of the two distillery combo's we seen in the past. The two core bottlings will be a Douglas Laing Double Barrel Islay / Highland blended malt and a Douglas Laing Double Barrel Speyside / Lowland blended malt – each will contain just two single malt whiskies, one from each whisky region. Both whiskies will be bottled at 46% ABV and without colouring, chill-filtration or an age statement.

Notably Douglas Laing does not reveal the distillery of origin of each of the whiskies in the Double Barrel Islay / Highland or Speyside / Lowland blended malts which form the new Double Barrel core range but they assure me that the style/flavour profile of the whiskies will remain constant in each of the whiskies as the contributing whiskies in the two blended malts will be from the same distilleries going forward, they told me: "It will be the same single malts contributing to each expression. We have no plans to change these and have good supply for each for the foreseeable future.", they did add however that "There will also be limited editions from time to time, where we will reference the distilleries."

The rebranded Douglas Laing Double Barrel range will be presented in a new look premium gift carton and heavy-weight square bottle with intricate, hand-drawn illustrations bringing to life Scotland’s Whisky Regions. The Islay / Highland illustration depicts an Islay mermaid holding a single Highland thistle while the Speyside / Lowland packaging reveals a griffin – a symbol of power in Scottish mythology – entrusted with guarding the sleeping casks as the spirit matures over time.

Cara Laing, Marketing Director at Douglas Laing said: "Our investment in this brand refresh allows us to take Double Barrel to the next level. We passionately believe in the spirit quality first and foremost but also in its unique positioning where opposites really do attract – sweetness and smoke, honey and heat, citrus and spice. We hope with this engaging new-look, Whisky enthusiasts around the world will be intrigued and enthused by this fusion of Single Malts from two very different Regions."

So the creative varied Double Barrel limited releases of the past will now only be available from time to time, I haven't tasted the two new, effectively permanent Double Barrel Islay / Highland and Speyside / Lowland blended malt expressions so I can't comment on their quality but knowing how good the folks at Douglas Laing are at putting these blended malts together I am sure they have created something special for whisky drinkers, but just how special, it will cost you £45 a bottle to find out, meanwhile DL's tasting note is below for you to consider.

The new Douglas Laing Double Barrel Islay / Highland and Speyside / Lowland blended malts will be available from specialist online whisky retailers such as The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt
 

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