Scotland
White Horse
- Cereal
- Smoky
- Sweet
Brand
White Horse whiskies
White Horse is a long-established Scotch blend, created by the Mackie family in the 19th century and closely linked to the island of Islay. Its name recalls an old Edinburgh coaching inn from which stagecoaches left for London. It is one of the most recognisable inexpensive blends, with a slightly smoky character given by the Islay malt in its blend, and it is very popular in Spain, Japan and Brazil.
- Created
- No data
- Owner
- Diageo
- Origin
- Scotland
- In the catalogue
- 1 whisky
History, style and where to start
Guide to White Horse
History
White Horse’s story begins with Mackie & Co., which at the end of the 19th century had interests in the Lagavulin distillery, on Islay. Peter Mackie, an energetic and controversial figure in the industry, registered the White Horse brand in tribute to the White Horse Cellar inn on Edinburgh’s Canongate. The company came to be called White Horse Distillers and was one of the first to adopt the screw cap for its bottles, in the 1920s. It later became part of the Distillers Company, and today belongs to Diageo.
House style
White Horse is a direct blend, with cereal, honey and spice, but it stands out for a touch of peat smoke and a briny edge that come from the Islay malt. That smoke is discreet, but it gives it more character than other blends at its price. It is dry and slightly earthy, with a short to medium finish. It works well on the rocks and in mixed drinks, and also neat if you like whiskies with a little smoke.
Flavour profile of its whisky in the catalogue
Where to start
White Horse is the catalogue’s entry and a very good option for a cheap blend with some smoke. If you like it, try Black Bottle or The Famous Grouse Smoky Black next, which take the idea a little further, or make the jump to a friendly Islay malt such as Caol Ila 12.
This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors.