🥃 White Horse
Scottish blended whisky created by Peter Mackie in 1891; named after an Edinburgh inn; built on Lagavulin; 40% ABV; owned by Diageo.
White Horse is a Scottish blended whisky created by Peter Mackie in 1891. The name comes from the White Horse Inn on the Canongate in Edinburgh. The standard bottling is 40% ABV with no age statement, and today the brand belongs to Diageo.
History. Whiskypedia dates the beginning to the firm James Logan Mackie & Co in 1880. The Mackie family had owned the inn from about 1650 until 1917. In 1884 the firm bought a share in the Lagavulin distillery on Islay, in 1890 it took the name Mackie & Co, and in 1891 it registered the White Horse trademark. In 1924, after the death of Sir Peter Mackie, the firm was renamed White Horse Distillers, and in 1927 it passed to the Distillers Company, the predecessor of Diageo.
How it is made. The blend is based on Lagavulin: Scotchwhisky.com magazine names it as the whisky most closely tied to the brand, and a tasting article suggests Craigellachie and Cragganmore as well, depending on the age of the bottle. The Mackie firm also held a share in Craigellachie from 1891. The full make-up of the current version has not been published, so any proportions are guesswork.
A distinction. Difford's Guide calls White Horse the first Scotch to give up the cork in favour of a screw cap, and Whiskypedia adds that DCL later withdrew it from the British market and concentrated on export.
Why this matters to you. This is a blend, not a single malt; old bottles from the 1970s and current versions differ in composition. The age on the label of other versions is the age of the youngest whisky. The WHO reminds us: there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Year founded | 1880 (J. L. Mackie & Co); White Horse trademark — 1891, Peter Mackie, Edinburgh |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890) (Blended Scotch Whisky) |
| EU category | 2 — whisky (whisky/whiskey) |
| Raw material | single malt and grain whiskies; Lagavulin as the key malt component |
| Minimum maturation | at least 3 years in oak by law; no age statement |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 40% ABV |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 White Horse → kind of → 🥃 Whisky → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Previous step
- 🥃 Diageo
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Lagavulin, 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it contains
- 🧪 Water, 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 British
- Part of
- 🥃 Whisky, 🥃 Blended Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Scotch Whisky
- Related to
- 🥃 Islay whisky, 🌍 Western Europe
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Johnnie Walker, 🥃 Teacher's, 🥃 Teacher's, 🥃 Grant's, 🥃 Grant's, 🥃 Strathisla, 🥃 Strathisla, 🥃 Bowmore, 🥃 Bowmore, 🥃 Craigellachie, 🥃 Glen Elgin, 🥃 Craigellachie 23 Year Old
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that White Horse contains Lagavulin?
Yes, Lagavulin is called the heart of the blend, and the Mackies held a share in the distillery from 1884. But our sources give no proportions.
Where does the name White Horse come from?
From the White Horse Inn on Edinburgh's Canongate, which was owned by the Mackie family.
Who owns White Horse?
Diageo; the Distillers Company, its predecessor, acquired White Horse Distillers in 1927.
What is the strength of White Horse?
40% ABV, with no age statement.
When was the brand created?
Whiskypedia dates the trademark to 1891 and the start of the firm to 1880; Difford's Guide speaks of the whisky being created in 1891.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🧪 Water — ~87% of milk.
- 🌍 Western Europe — France, the Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg: a mild, moist climate, pastures and hundreds of cheeses such as Roquefort, Camembert, Gouda and Cheddar.
Similar
🥃 Black & White · 🥃 Oban · 🥃 Benrinnes · 🥃 Vat 69 · 🥃 Royal Lochnagar · 🥃 Loch Lomond Distillery
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky (Scotland, oak up to 700 l, min. 3 years, min. 40 % ABV)
- Scotchwhisky.com (Whiskypedia): White Horse Distillers (1880 J. L. Mackie & Co, White Horse Inn, Lagavulin from 1884, Mackie & Co 1890, trademark 1891, DCL 1927, Diageo 2010)
- Difford's Guide: White Horse Blended Scotch Whisky (40 %, no age statement, created 1891 by Peter Mackie, first Scotch with screw cap)
- Scotchwhisky.com: A White Horse retrospective (Lagavulin at the heart of the blend, tasting of pre-war to 1979 bottlings)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)