The Antiquary is one of Scotland’s oldest whisky brands, and it has just undergone a revival. Under the stewardship of the Tomatin distillery, The Antiquary is back as an all-new collection of blended whiskies consisting of 15-year-old, 21-year-old and 30-year-old expressions.
“We’ve owned The Antiquary since 1996. Tomatin traditionally made lots of whisky for blending, but our owners, Takara Shuzo, didn’t have a blend—they jumped at The Antiquary,” explains Derek Scott, the marketing director for Tomatin whisky. Founded in 1857 in Edinburgh by John and William Hardie, it established a name for itself and has been on offer ever since. In the early 20th century, it was acquired by The Distillers Company, which would eventually become part of Diageo; it was from Diageo that Takara Shuzo acquired The Antiquary. Although it had its own niche in some markets such as the Americas and Spain, Takara Shuzo and Tomatin ended up doing very little with it—it just “bumbled along for about 20, 30 years”, according to Scott. But about five years ago saw the beginnings of a purposeful revitalisation of the brand, and the project was led by Scott Adamson, blender and global brand ambassador for Tomatin.
As it happens, Adamson is a trained historian. “He started researching the Hardies, their business, and how they would have done it back then,” Scott explains. “So, the Hardies set up as tea blenders, then they set up as wine merchants, and then spirit merchants. Typical of their era.” The Hardies would have imported tea to their business in Edinburgh, where they would have mixed it into their own blends. When the blended whisky boom came about, they would have done the same. Adamson reasoned that, as wine merchants, the Hardies would have had a wine warehouse—and that means wine casks on hand, which would have been a logical place to store their whisky.
This gave rise to the concept behind the new Antiquary collection—a marrying period in wine casks. Analogous to a finishing period for single malt whiskies, The Antiquary has an exceptionally long marrying period—around three years for the 21- and 30-year-old expressions, and only slightly less for the 15-year-old. “This is what we found fascinating. It’s quite a unique process,” Scott says. “We’ve got this young blender who’s done his research, and he’s come up with a fairly novel concept for The Antiquary.”
There were quite a variety of wine casks used in the new collection. The 15-year-old (RM387) is fruit-forward, almost citrus-y, and is married in claret casks from Bordeaux. The 21-year-old (RM572) carries a wisp of smoke alongside its rich, chocolate-y flavours, thanks to Portuguese tawny port casks. The 30-year-old (RM1,859) is something of a sherry bomb, with all the implied intense, sugary notes derived from sherry casks from Jerez, Spain. “All three of them have got their own distinctive style, an elegance to them, and they’re also very easy-drinking,” Scott says. They are intentionally bottled at 40 per cent, something unusual for Tomatin, but he adds that approachability was something they felt was quite important for The Antiquary. Consisting mainly of Highland and Speyside malts, The Antiquary has another nod to its history in that its grain whisky component is sourced exclusively from North British Distillery—founded in 1885 by a group of independent distillers including John and William Hardie.
Scott also feels that blended whiskies—which have generally been considered less desirable than single malts by collectors—are due for their own revival. “I think we’re at the start of something really exciting,” he says, noting the increasing interest in whiskies from non-traditional sources such as Australia and Taiwan. This is accompanied by a demand for new tastes and experiences, something blended whiskies could provide—especially those created with as much care and connoisseurship as any single malt. “I think with brands like The Antiquary, we’re saying that we’re not just a blended scotch. There’s a rich and deep story to this, both at a product level and a brand level,” Scott says. Consumers became interested in single malts because of very similar reasons—different flavour profiles alongside a compelling history—and The Antiquary provides both.
The local re-introduction of The Antiquary involves a partnership with Ignis KL, a restaurant in Bangsar South known for its wood-fired grill and barbecue. A special five-course pairing menu, priced at RM300++ per person, includes an Antiquary cocktail or dram with each course. The menu, which includes seabass ceviche and lamb shoulder starters, a duck breast or flat iron steak main, and a whisky baba dessert, is available until 30 November 2024.
