A New Brand of Blended Whisky

Brothers Gordon and Ally Stevenson have announced the launch of Turntable Blending House, their new brand of blended whisky.

Turntable will launch internationally with a trio of special bottlings for 2023 before the core range debuts later this year. Limited editions include;

Track 1 : Joy.Discovery.Invention.

Track 2 : Firestarter

Track 3 : Purple Haze

Turntable Blending House gives whisky a new voice. With over 20 years’ combined experience in the trade, Gordon and Ally, were ready to plot their own path. They longed to create blends notable for their complexity, innovation and transparency, which belonged to a dynamic and forward-looking brand unafraid to push the boundaries.

Blending in smaller batches for character, Turntable combines both the expertise and imagination to explore possibilities and boldly break new ground.

The blending philosophy at the heart of Turntable can be summed up in one phrase: No Shortcuts. A project years in the making, the brothers have put wood management at the forefront of their vision, sourcing exceptional casks form around the world to run a strategic rerack programme and develop the quality of their whisky stock. The first three expressions are all natural colour, non-chill filtered and bottled at 46% ABV.

“Gordon and I have been fortunate enough to travel the world with whisky”, says Ally, “and a real frustration of ours in recent years has been the global perception of blended whisky - the widespread opinion that single malt is where the quality lies, and blends are volume brands. Why does that need to be the case?

“Blending opens endless opportunites for innovation and flavour development. We started Turntable with the belief that we could combine the best of both worlds -the attention to detail, transparency and provenance of single malts, and the scope of creativity and falvour development within blends. With Turntable we aim to flip the record on ordinary and create something truly special.”

The Turntable 2023 releases are limted globally to circe 1500 bottles of each ‘Track’ and will be available to purchase form specialist retailers and online from 5th April, with an RRP of £70. For more information please visit turntablespirits.com

Stockists here.

Excited by the transparency angle and the potential for energising the blended sector, Dramface’s Wally contacted Turntable to query the seemingly high price of the trio of launch bottles. Their blender Ally Stevenson responded;

“In typical Turntable style, we are doing things the unconventional way. Limited releases before core. This allows us to bring a different level of transparency on the labels for launching – giving the full blend breakdown with percentages and distillates. Although we can’t mention the different ages on the packaging we are working with older whiskies. We have one chance at a first impression and we want to blow people away with these first releases. We have worked to keep the pricing as accessible as possible. We truly believe getting liquid on lips is our biggest opportunity to drive Turntable forward.”

Factsheets:

Full Bio:

Turntable Blending House gives blended whisky a new voice. The story starts with two brothers, a serious love of whisky and a backing track of creativity. Conceived as an antidote to the status quo, Turntable flips the record on ordinary in a bid to unlock new frontiers in the blended whisky space.

Blending in small batches for character, Turntable combines expertise and imagination to explore possibilities and boldly push the boundaries of flavour.

With over 20 years experience between Glasgow-based founders Ally and Gordon Stevenson, the project is a genuine labour of love, one that appreciates that all great whiskies need three core ingredients: quality spirit, excellent casks and time.

Ally and Gordon started Turntable believing they could bring something fresh and exciting to the industry. Professionally, their work has taken them to virtually every corner of the whisky world. Younger brother Ally started his career with a five-year stint at the BenRiach Distillery Company before moving on to GlenAllachie. In both roles, he learned the subtle art of whisky blending, working under the auspices of renowned Master Blender Billy Walker. Through processes such as stock management, wood policy, cask selection and blending, Ally has developed a clear vision on the direction of Turntable whiskies. And yes, he acknowledges his good fortune in getting to learning the craft from an industry legend like Billy!

Meanwhile, Gordon spent a decade on the sales side of the business, covering markets such as Scandinavia and Northern Europe, North America, Africa and the Middle East. While racking up air miles at Inver House Distillers and Douglas Laing & Co, Gordon gained a critical insight into exactly what stores and customers look for when purchasing whisky. Working closely with production teams, participating in tasting panels and cask selections, interacting with distillery managers, and handling a hugely diverse range of whiskies gave Gordon a panoramic view of the industry and the nuances of its various production methods.

Naturally both brothers are passionate whisky enthusiasts and this, coupled with their desire to elevate the perception of blended whisky among a younger demographic, mean they are well-suited to create specialised products that make an immediate impact.

The blending philosophy at the heart of Turntable can be summed up in one phrase: No Shortcuts. A project years in the making, the brothers have put wood management at the forefront of their vision, sourcing exceptional casks from around the world to run a sizeable rerack programme and develop the quality of their whisky stock. All Turntable blends will be married for three months and the final products will be natural colour and non-chill filtered.

These products will include a trio of special releases for 2023, before the core range debuts later in the year. The limited edition bottlings comprise Track 1: Joy.Discovery.Invention, Track 2: Firestarter and Track 3: Purple Haze. More information on the core range will follow in due course.

Web: turntablespirits.com

Instagram: @turntablespirits

Facebook: Turntable Spirits

Contact: info@turntablespirits.com