White Horse Whiskey 1.75L

White Horse traces its origins to James Logan Mackie, who founded his whisky merchant business and, by the early 1880s, held a stake in Islay's Lagavulin distillery. In 1890, his nephew Peter Mackie, known as "Restless Pete" for his relentless drive, introduced the White Horse blend to the world, naming it after the historic White Horse Cellar Inn in Edinburgh, a coaching stop the Mackie family had owned since the 1600s. After Peter Mackie's death in 1924, the company reorganized as White Horse Distillers, joined the Distillers Company Limited in 1927, and the brand eventually passed to Diageo, which dissolved the standalone company in 2010 while keeping the blend in production.

White Horse draws its character from roughly 40 different malt and grain whiskies sourced from the Highlands, Lowlands, and Islay, built around a core of Lagavulin single malt. Lagavulin's coastal location on Islay means its peat is dried using malt exposed to salt-laden sea spray, and that maritime, smoky character carries through into the blend even in diluted form. The whisky is bottled at 40 percent ABV.

The nose brings a mix of oak, smoke, and toffee, with the peat influence sitting alongside caramel and red berry notes. On the palate, a salty, coastal undercurrent runs beneath light earthy peat, joined by black pepper and a touch of mixed herbs. The finish leans into caramel and lingering earthiness, closing with the kind of warmth that points back to its Islay heart.