Scotch blend from the 1850s recreated

The founder of the “world’s first stock exchange” for maturing Scotch whisky has revived his great-great-grandfather’s blended whisky dating back to the 1850s.

James Eadie Trade Mark X, old (left) and new

Rupert Patrick, a former commercial director for Diageo, relaunched his ancestor’s historic James Eadie Scotch brand last year. James Eadie Ltd was set up as an independent bottle in 2016.

The move followed Patrick’s establishment of Whisky Invest Direct in 2015, which aims to solve the “real problem” of diminishing cash flow in the Scotch industry by allowing private investors to buy and sell casks of whisky early in the maturation process.

Patrick has now recreated James Eadie Trade Mark X – which became one of the world’s first trademarks.

The blend contains 12 whiskies found in Eadie’s Victorian ledgers, including Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Aberlour and Craigellachie, as well as grain and malt from closed distilleries Cambus and Littlemill.

Master blender Norman Matheson created the blend, which is said to have both sweet and floral Speyside flavours and peaty, smoky island notes.

“Some people in the trade think I’m mad using these premium singles and extremely rare whiskies in a blend, but the art of blending is what gave Scottish whisky the dominant position in global spirits which it enjoys today,” said Patrick, managing director of James Eadie.

“Eadie’s blend was outstanding because he didn’t stint on quality. This first bottling of Trade Mark ‘X’ in 70 years is as enticing and complex as the original. It’s all about authenticity.”

Gleneagles-born James Eadie trademarked his blend’s cross logo in 1877, one year after the Trade Marks Registration Act was established. The brand was sold across his family’s 300 pubs and ceased production in 1947.

James Eadie Trade Mark X is available in the UK at an RRP of £45 (about US$59) and has been shipped to six export markets.