Blended Scotch Whisky - 100 Pipers
Scottish armies were traditionally led into battle by Pipers playing bagpipes. They inspired their following and sent terror into the hearts of the enemy.
Perhaps the finest, but the most tragic hour of the Scottish Pipers was when they led the doomed Jacobite incursions into England in 1715 and 1745.
These ill-fated attempts to restore the Stuart Kings to the English throne culminated in the 1745 uprising under Bonnie Prince Charlie, grandson of the last Stuart monarch.
He marched south with 100 Pipers, drawn from all the clans, leading his army. Their story was celebrated in the old Scottish song, "The Ballad of 100 Pipers".
Ballad of 100 Pipers
Written by the Jacobite Lady Nairn, the song commemorates an event from the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, when the rebel army composed largely of Highland Scots crossed into England from Scotland and laid siege to Carlisle. When the garrison laid down their arms, it is said that Prince Charles Edward Stewart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) rode into town at the head of one hundred pipers to accept the surrender. The effect was apparently both moving and awe-inspiring.
The song also refers to a remarkable incident, which occurred shortly afterwards, when the Jacobite army withdrew to Scotland with British Army soldiers in hot pursuit. The River Esk barred the way and was in spate, so that it seemed the Highland troops would be unable to cross it. However, the men marched into the river shoulder to shoulder, and showed tremendous discipline in keeping close ranks despite the fast flow of water.
Having been immersed shoulder-deep in the river, the Highlanders? heavy plaids were soaked through and heavy by the time they reached the far side and it was feared that they would have to make camp while their clothes dried out.
However, the pipers began to play, and it is said that the men danced fully clothed until their plaids were dry they "danced themselves dry to the pibroch's sound...".
The pervading spirit of 100 Pipers
- Mulben is the spiritual home of 100 Pipers.
- This unique warehouse location, nestled deep in the Scottish highlands, holds 1.25m casks of whisky, slowly maturing and perfecting.
- 269 MILLION LITRES of maturing whisky.
- Each of the 56 warehouses represents ?60 MILLION worth of payable duty.
- The casks in Mulben?s 56 warehouses, laid side by side, would stretch from the highlands of Scotland to the English Channel (655 miles).
Sounds familiar
In the early 70?s the warehouse supervisor would practice his bagpipes; a haunting melody in the hollow surroundings of the warehouse. Listen carefully. Today you may catch the lingering harmonies of not one, but one hundred pipers in the fabric of the building.
The Angel?s Share
Every year, 2% of the maturing whisky evaporates. 5 MILLION LITRES A YEAR. This is called ?The Angel?s Share?.
Product
Only a limited number of whiskies in Scotland carry the word 'De Luxe' on their label. 100 Pipers is such a whisky. It is a scotch whisky produced from 25 to 30 carefully selected and aged whiskies of superior quality.
100 PIPERS De Luxe scotch whisky is distilled, aged and blended in the traditional way year after year to achieve its unique, smooth taste appreciated so highly by connoisseurs.
Colour: Dark Golden
Nose: Subtle oaky fragrance, with complex, harmonised flavour encompassing an aromatic sweetness
Body: Medium
Taste: A mellow, light, slightly sweet, oaky flavoured whisky, combined with a hint of soft smokiness
Finish: A hint of sweet nuttiness is intertwined with a subtle smoky finish