A WHISKY brand which celebrates ties between Scotland and Japan has been recognised at Holyrood.

First launched in 2015, The Glover is believed to be the world’s first official blend of Scottish and Japanese drams.

The brand is named after "Scottish Samurai" Thomas Blake Glover, an Aberdeenshire merchant and diplomat who played a key role in the industrialisation of Japan in the 19th century.

The sixth edition of the whisky – a blend of two casks of unpeated malt from Ardnamurchan and Chichibu Distillery - was celebrated at the Scottish Parliament this week after a motion was lodged by SNP MSP Jackie Dunbar.

Just 460 bottles of the batch exist and it is retailing at £130 a bottle. 

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The launch has also attracted the support of Consul General of Japan, Tadashi Fujiwara, who was presented with a bottle in a ceremony at Holyrood hosted by Dunbar.

The brand, a collaboration between Edinburgh-based Fusion Whisky and Adelphi Selection, is the brainchild of Jim Millar who holds official commendations from the Foreign Minister of Japan and the Consul General for his work promoting trade, education and cultural links between the countries.

Millar said: “While the brand recognises the incredible achievements of Thomas Blake Glover, the dram is very much about celebrating the links between Scotland and Japan – not just in the past but also as we look to the future and find solutions to shared challenges such as climate change and sustainability.”

In the tasting notes of this latest whisky, it has been described as “wonderfully complex” with notes of fresh orchard fruit, orange blossom, vanilla spoke cake and honeycomb.

Fusion Whisky and Adelphi Selection have developed a number of international whiskies, using drams from countries including India, the Netherlands and Australia. Each one is named after a Scot who made a positive impact there.

Other brands using the model are currently under development and will be unveiled later this year.