Premium spirits company, Edrington, is relaunching its Naked brand with a new identity.

The brand, formerly Naked Grouse, will be renamed Naked Malt, to reinforce its quality credentials and reflect the blend of some of Scotland’s finest single malts.

Naked Malt will see no change to the liquid. However, the brand is revealing a new, contemporary design and 100% recyclable packaging. The bottle – which remains transparent to showcase the liquid – will now be embossed with a “Naked” first-fill sherry cask, “a homage to the unique process and the flavour it embodies”. Each bottle will also carry a signature from Naked Malt Master Blender, Diane Stuart.

Comprised of world-renowned single malts, Naked Malt’s flavour is enhanced when the unique blend is extra-matured in first-fill (or naked) Oloroso sherry casks for at least six months. As they’ve never held whisky before, this imparts the best flavour and cask character to create a distinctive taste that is rich and fruity yet versatile for any preferred serve, according to the producer. The brand wants to inspire a new generation of whisky drinkers to celebrate the freedom to drink whisky their way, and ultimately Live Naked, free from traditional constraints. 

Naked Malt will be available to purchase on Amazon, Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange from July 2021 and will cost £27.

Elaine Miller, Global Brand Controller at Naked Malt, said: “For our consumers, the whisky category can be difficult to navigate and bound with conventions they don’t want to be constrained by, so for us, it’s about making whisky more accessible. We want to give a new generation the freedom to try whisky their way, whilst providing the reassurance of a great quality, versatile liquid.
“The new bottle design reinforces our ‘Naked’ cask story, and our ‘Naked’ bottle itself is stripped back because we want to liberate the whisky and let the quality shine through. We also took this opportunity to ensure that all packaging components are 100% recyclable, a key consideration for our consumers.”

Diane Stuart, Naked Malt Master Blender, added: “Naked Malt is blended using some of the finest Scottish single malts, each selected for its quality and individual flavour. Every cask of Single Malt Scotch whisky selected for our blend is nosed to ensure it meets our exacting standard.

“By extra maturing Naked Malt in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks, we deliver quality and intensity of flavour enviable in the contemporary whisky category. We create the perfect balance of sweet, fruity character from the American oak with the rich, dried fruit and spicy notes from the European oak to produce Naked Malts signature flavour. But what matters most is that you enjoy it whichever way you like.”