Aberlour
Part of Chivas Brothers' portfolio, Aberlour is best known for its cult expression, A'Bunadh.
Clan Campbell
Brand
A standard blend from the 1930s and now the most popular ‘premium whisky’ in France.
Clan Campbell Profile
Blended Scotch Whisky
Of all the Scottish clans that have been co-opted by Scotch whisky brands, there is no doubt Clan Campbell has been the most successful, perhaps partly because the clan claims to have 14 million descendants worldwide.
Owned by the French spirits giant Pernod Ricard, it was the ‘number one premium whisky’ in France in 2015 (IWSR). With Aberlour and Glenallachie in the blend it has a Speyside heart, and recent aged expressions have included Clan Campbell ‘Highlander’ 12-year-old, the ‘Legendary’ 18-year-old, and an 8-year-old.
Clan Campbell History
The convoluted story of Clan Campbell whisky starts with a wine merchant, originally called Samuel Rosenbloom, who moved into whisky as Forbes McGregor & Co. in Glasgow in 1933.
Rosenbloom was soon calling himself Ross, and then Campbell, possibly because his new firm was based in the city’s Campbell House. A year later he bought the Glasgow blender Muir Mackenzie & Co and it was that name on the Clan Campbell blend when it first appeared in around 1948.
The holding company of S. Campbell & Son Ltd became Pernod Ricard’s first venture into Scotch in 1974. The head of clan Campbell, the Duke of Argyll, was appointed onto the board of the holding company – the House of Campbell.
In 1978 Clan Campbell 5-year-old was launched in France, followed by a 12-year-old in 1985 when the brand was rolled out into Spain, Italy and the UK.
By the second half of the 1990s it had smashed through the million case sales barrier as the world’s fastest-growing Scotch brand. By 2010 it was the most popular blend in France with sales there of 1.7m cases.
Timeline
- 1948 Muir Mackenzie & Co launches the Clan Campbell brand
- 1974 The brand becomes part of Pernod Ricard
- 1978 Clan Campbell 5-year-old is launched in France
- 1985 Clan Campbell 12-year-old is released, and the brand extended to Spain, Italy and the UK
- 1991 The on-going ‘Land of Clan Campbell’ ad campaign starts in the US
- 1996 Worldwide sales passes one million cases
- 2005 Clan Campbell launches a 10-year-old blended malt
- 2007 As the top-selling whisky in France, sales there hit 1.7m cases
Owners
Parent company
- Pernod Ricard 1975 - present
Current owner
- Chivas Brothers Holdings 2001 - present
Previous owner
- Campbell Distillers 1937 - 2001
See also
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Distillery & brand