Few bottles on the shelf carry a story as rich, layered and unmistakably Scottish as Cutty Sark.
Launched in London in 1923 by the wine and spirits merchants Berry Bros. & Rudd, this blended Scotch has spent more than a century carving out its own identity – smooth, approachable, and forever tied to one of Scotland’s greatest cultural icons
A Name Born From Poetry and Folklore
The whisky’s name is far more than a nod to maritime nostalgia. It traces its roots to Robert Burns’s 1791 poem Tam O’Shanter, a tale of witches, wild nights and supernatural pursuit. In the poem, the farmer Tam encounters a witch named Nannie Dee, dressed in a short linen shift — a “cutty sark” in Scots dialect.
The phrase became immortal when Tam shouts, “Weel done, Cutty-Sark!” — a line that inspired the naming of the legendary tea clipper Cutty Sark in 1869. The ship’s figurehead, still visible today, depicts Nannie Dee clutching the tail of Tam’s horse, Meg. When Berry Bros. & Rudd created their new whisky decades later, they borrowed the ship’s name — and with it, a sense of speed, daring and Scottish wit.
A Whisky Built on Smoothness and Accessibility
Cutty Sark was designed from the outset to be different: lighter, fresher and more mixable than many of the heavier blends of its era. Today, the whisky is masterfully blended from single malts and grain whiskies, resulting in a smooth, mellow and refreshing character.
It’s bottled at 40% ABV and remains one of the most recognisable blends in the world, thanks to its distinctive yellow label and maritime heritage.
Why Cutty Sark Belongs on the Burns Night Table
Burns Night celebrated every 25 January is a global toast to Scotland’s national poet and few whiskies have a more direct literary connection to Burns than Cutty Sark. A whisky whose identity is intertwined with the Bard’s storytelling, humour and cultural legacy and carries the spirit of adventure from the high seas to the Burns Night table.