Why You Should Be Buying Whisky From Independent Bottlers

You spot a great value bottle of your favorite single malt on the shelf. The price seems right, but the label is strangely unfamiliar. Chances are it’s from an “independent bottler” rather than the distillery itself—a third-party operator in the business of buying casks, either singly or in parcels, and bottling them under their name, even though for the most part the original distillery is clearly identified.

But operations such as Cadenhead’s , Gordon & MacPhail , Signatory , Berry Bros. & Rudd , Adelphi , and others do much more than just bottle whisky. At their best, they are...