Whisky and Tartan.
Two of Scotland’s most enduring symbols. But what do Scottish Craftsmanship and Heritage look like when they are reimagined by the people making them today?
We’re excited to unveil our newly registered Cask Trade Tartan, designed by one of Scotland’s most celebrated contemporary fashion designers, Siobhan Mackenzie.
The Cask Trade Tartan is an original textile pattern created exclusively for us and this collaboration. We have chosen to debut the design on a special, limited edition single cask bottling from Nc’nean distillery, bringing together two distinct Scottish craft disciplines – whisky and tartan.
The collaboration also champions female creatives in heritage driven industries and celebrates the craftsmanship that goes into creating a bottle of whisky at every stage of production.
Working with Siobhan Mackenzie
Who better placed to create a new tartan than one of Scotland’s most recognised contemporary designers – Siobhan Mackenzie?
Siobhan Mackenzie is an award-winning Scottish fashion designer whose eponymous label is rooted in Highland heritage and contemporary design. Raised on the Black Isle in Scotland, Mackenzie draws her inspiration from place, tradition and identity, reimagining Scotland’s rich textile heritage and championing a Made in Scotland ethos.
As a team, we have admired Siobhan Mackenzie’s designs for a while – most notably her latest creation for Scotland’s Commonwealth Games team and work on outfits for BBC’s The Traitors. Due to the way Mackenzie combines traditional craftsmanship with innovative design, she was the natural choice when looking for a designer to create the Cask Trade Tartan.
Siobhan Mackenzie says it best herself: “For me, there’s a lot of synergy between my brand and what Cask Trade is doing. It’s something different and innovative within a very traditional industry, and I really like that alignment.”
We are also honoured that Siobhan Mackenzie’s first whisky bottle design was a Cask Trade bottling.
The Tartan
The new Cask Trade Tartan’s colour palette is drawn from our brand colours, with deep purple and gold as the dominant tones. Cask Trade’s founding year, 2018, is also subtly embedded within the design through the tartan’s thread count, integrating brand heritage into the fabric itself.
The Cask Trade Tartan has been officially lodged with the Scottish Register of Tartans.
Working with Nc’nean
From one trailblazing woman to another: Annabel Thomas.
The whisky we decided to bottle needed to be worthy of the tartan it was going to be wrapped in, so we looked no further than Nc’nean distillery.
Nc’nean, founded by Annabel Thomas in 2017, is Scotland’s first 100% organic whisky, is verified net zero and B Corp certified. Impressive. Located on the Morvern Peninsula, it’s a distillery that has consistently challenged convention and proven time and time again that exceptional whisky and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive.
The combination of Nc’nean and Siobhan Mackenzie really couldn’t be more perfect. The distillery takes its name from Neachneohain, the ancient Gaelic goddess known as the Queen of Spirits, a huntress and fierce protector of nature.
So, we had our distillery. Now to select the cask.
The Liquid
At Cask Trade, we’re passionate about finding liquid with stories as compelling as their flavour. Senior Accounts Manager Myriam Mackenzie, Marketing Manager Keira Watkins and Director Colin Hampden-White sat down to sample the casks and settled on a wonderful 8 year old STR (shaved, toasted and re-charred) red wine cask distilled in 2018. Again, reflecting the year Cask Trade was founded in another example of the stars aligning.
The cask yielded just 306 bottles of Single Malt Scotch Whisky at 54.5% making this a limited-edition release and not to be repeated. The team liked this cask in particular for its fruity and inviting nose, balanced spicy and sweet palate and soft notes of oak.
The Details
Distillery: Nc’nean, Drimnin, Morvern Peninsula, Scottish Highlands
Batch Number: 89
Distilled: 2018
Bottled: 2026
Age: 8 Years Old
Cask Type: STR (Shaved, toasted and re-charred)
ABV: 54.5%
Number of bottles: 306
Tasting Notes
Nose: Fruity and inviting with apricot, apple, citrus oil, hints of red berries, honey and gentle spice.
Palate: Dried apricot and apple lead into vanilla fudge, baking spice and black pepper, balanced by flashes of citrus, honey and sweet oak.
Finish: Sweet oak lingers as honey fades, giving way to baking spice, cracked black pepper and a soft final note of oak.
Cask Trade Tartan, designed by Siobhan Mackenzie, is an original design, lodged with the Scottish Register of Tartans.
A percentage of the profits generated from this collaboration will be donated to The Drinks Trust.
