Black Bull is a brand with a history stretching back to the 1860s, originally produced by George Willsher of Dundee. It passed through various hands before being revived by Duncan Taylor, the independent bottler based in Huntly, Aberdeenshire. The 12 Year Old is bottled at 50% — a bold choice for a blend — and uses a high proportion of malt whisky, reportedly around 50%, giving it a richness and weight that most blended Scotch cannot approach.
The sherry cask influence is generous, lending dried fruit and chocolate notes that dominate the nose and palate. At 50%, the whisky has the strength to carry this richness without becoming cloying, and the malt content provides a genuine complexity that rewards attention. This is not a blend designed for casual mixing — it demands the same respect as a good single malt, and repays it handsomely.
Black Bull 12 is one of the best-kept secrets in blended Scotch. It offers single malt quality at a blended whisky price, with the added advantage of a bottling strength that most producers would consider too bold for the category. Duncan Taylor's expertise as independent bottlers — selecting casks for quality rather than brand identity — gives Black Bull an advantage that larger blending operations, bound by house style and consistency requirements, cannot easily match. Exceptional value and genuine quality in a category too often content with mediocrity.
