The Uncomplicated Version
- OB (official bottles) are bottled by the distillery to maintain a consistent, signature flavour profile over time. IB (independent bottles) are bottled by third parties from casks sold by distilleries, often showcasing single-cask nuance, higher variability, and frequently cask-strength or custom ABVs.
- IBs offer broader creativity and flavour exploration, even from the same distillery, while OBs prioritise brand consistency.
- Distilleries release casks to IBs for inventory management, cash-flow smoothing during aging, and expanded brand reach via IBs’ marketing and distribution.
The Scotch whisky world is broadly divided into two main segments: OB (Official Bottling) and IB (Independent Bottling). In single malt Scotch terms, OB generally means the whisky is bottled by the producer of the whisky. As such, the branding on the bottle is synonymous with the whisky in the bottle.
IB whisky is labelled and bottled by someone who did not produce it. This generally means the Independent Bottler bottled a cask that has left the distillery’s control.
Why IB Whisky?
Independent bottlers often have more freedom to be creative with the whisky in their casks, meaning that as a drinker of IB whisky, you can experience a wider range of flavours and options than you might with OB, even from the same distillery.
One of the main features of OB whisky is that it is intended to match the brand’s distinct flavour profile year after year. A bottle of Macallan 12 Sherry Oak today should taste very similar to how it did ten years ago. This is by design.
IBs often come from a single cask, meaning you’re tasting the nuance of one of the “rawest” forms of whisky. Additionally, IBs are usually bottled at “cask strength” (direct from the cask) or at customised alcohol by volume (ABV), which allows you to experience the whisky differently from the OB equivalent. There is typically a high degree of variability between IB expressions, whereas OB releases show very low variability.
In many cases, there is a noticeable difference in price between IB and OB bottles of similar ages. This is case by case, but a general rule of thumb is that younger IB whisky can cost more than OB of the same age, whereas the inverse is often true for older whiskies (roughly above twenty years old).
Why Do Distilleries Sell IB Casks?
There are many reasons a distillery might sell a cask into the private market, thus losing control of the whisky in that particular cask:
- Inventory management: In some years, a distillery may have produced more whisky than needed for projected retail bottlings.
- Cash flow: If a distillery’s youngest OB bottles are sold at ten years old, the distillery has a ten-year gap between production and monetization. Selling a small allocation of casks along the way can generate cash flow that would otherwise take several years.
- Brand recognition: When an IB buys a cask to bottle themselves, the IB assumes the cost of marketing and distribution. The IB will usually leverage the distillery’s name recognition while helping get the product into more shops and targeting an otherwise unaddressed market.
In a sense, whisky is whisky. While IB and OB are similar in many ways, there are distinct differences that make IB an exciting world to explore, especially if you’re a whisky lover always seeking new discoveries.