Era:  1980s

ABV:  43%
Volume:  100cl

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Cutty Sark, in its iconic green bottle and yellow label, was created by the Scottish wine merchants Berry Brothers and Rudd in 1923. The brand name comes from the merchant sailing ship Cutty Sark built in 1869. The ship was named after a reference in Robert Burns' 1791 poem Tam o'Shanter. Tam, coming home late from the pub, passes the old churchyard and witnesses a satanic ritual being performed by a witch named Nannie Dee. The group spies Tam and chases him and his horse Meg through the countryside. During the chase Nannie is wearing a shift that ends just above her waist and nothing else, that garment colloquially called a "Cutty-sark" by the Scottish.  Cutty Sark's genesis was a lunch attended by Francis Berry, Hugh Rudd (the partners of Berry Bros. & Rudd) and artist James McBey - who suggested the name. The lighter style was created for the American market, which at the time was still in the grip of Prohibition. The first Scotch whisky to sell 1 million cases in the USA, its distinctive yellow label was initially a printer's error and helped make the brand's advertising notorious.