Behind the Blend

It would be easy to become nostalgic about whisky in Leith, but the area’s future relationship with whisky is equally exciting as its past. Our own journey was inspired by the rich legacy of whisky here, and we made the deliberate choice to establish ourselves in the locale that once housed scores of blending houses during blending’s golden age.

As we began our blending journey here, we encountered the industry’s past and future converging around us. We heard echoes of yesteryear as locals shared tales of bustling bottling halls, towering piles of sherry casks, and a pride in seeing something made here get exported around the world. And while a new Leith has emerged, defined by different industries, we also found a strengthening heartbeat as a new breed of whisky distiller resumes whisky distilling in Leith with bold ambitions (Port of Leith and Crabbies).

Our vision for HOMEMADE was to create a contemporary blend that offers a fresh perspective on what blends can be. We wanted to bridge the past and the future in an honest and hardworking liquid that Leith, Scotland, and all whisky lovers everywhere can share as a testament to great flavor and quality blending.

Our blending practice sees us blend in small batches, with meticulous attention to detail.

Some of our approaches are borrowed from the world's of Japanese whisky makers and French Cognac houses, and help us elevate what's possible in texture and flavour. These innovations are tempered by a nod to the past as we employ two different types of Sherry cask in the marrying process, a nod to Leith’s role in creating the shared ties between the worlds of Sherry and whisky.

Liquid Breakdown

A pair of 8-year-old Speyside single malt whiskies provide the depth, vibrancy, and character that we wanted in the blend, and a single-grain whisky is sourced from a famous grain distillery in Edinburgh. The malt components make up over 70% of the blend, echoing a famous claim by a discontinued brand close to our hearts that boasted ‘the highest malt content of any blend.’

Seventy-five percent of the blend is then married in two different types of sherry casks (Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximenez) as a nod to the role Leith played in forging the relationship between the two parallel worlds of sherry and Scotch. This adds vibrancy to the whole blend and an additional layer of complexity and richness.

The result is a blend that is at once bold, graceful, and vibrant. It boasts bright grassy flavors up front and layers of nutty, fruity, and spiced complexity. It sits roundly on the palate and has an extraordinarily long, satisfying finish.

About the Producer

We are friends who believe that there’s more to whisky. A lot more. And while our home is a blending studio in Leith, our mission is global. We want to make this industry, this art, much more human. Much more experimental. Much less industrialised. Much more experiential. Much more, well, fun. But we know we can’t do it alone. Because we know this is bigger than any one of us. 

To us, blending is more than an action, it’s an idea. Blending is creativity. Blending is community. Blending is collaboration. Blending is exciting, it is discovery. Blending is how new ideas are born. Mixing possibilities, connecting disparate peoples and passions in order to create something new. Blending is a richer life.Something deeper. Something more delicious. We believe blending is a fundamental human trait. A human need. It makes us all better, stronger. It makes us greater than the sum of our parts. We aren't content with what whisky is. We want to discover what whisky can be.