Fife-based independent bottler Fib Whisky has unveiled its latest release, an 18-year-old single cask whisky from the North British Distillery in Edinburgh.
However, in a tribute to Fib’s late founder Aedan Burt – an ardent supporter of Scottish independence – the whisky has been renamed ‘South Scottish’ to celebrate his steadfast refusal to buy casks from North British because of its name.
For the extremely limited release, Fib Whisky has employed its signature ‘before and after’ approach. Half of the cask’s yield, matured in a refill bourbon barrel, has been bottled in its original form. The remaining liquid underwent a finishing period of just 29 days in a first-fill Banyuls fortified red wine cask from France, giving connoisseurs the chance to compare and contrast two distinct expressions of the same spirit.
These were bottled at cask strengths of 57.8% and 53.3% respectively. As can be seen, the short finish darkened the whisky’s colour, which also has a vastly different taste to its unfinished sibling.
The label artwork is by Scottish artist Orla Stevens. The design features the Scottish side of the border stone on the A68, with ‘North British’ lettering scored out and replaced with ‘South Scottish’ graffiti.
Only 37 ‘before’ and 58 ‘after’ bottles were produced. Sadly for whisky fans, both have now sold out.
