# Drambuie
**Drambuie** is a Scottish liqueur made from aged blended [Scotch whisky](https://www.edgepedia.org/scotch-whisky), heather honey, and a closely guarded selection of herbs and spices, bottled at 40% alcohol by volume[1](https://www.liquor.com/recipes/rusty-nail/). The name comes from the Scots Gaelic phrase *An Dram Buidheach*, meaning "The Drink that Satisfies"[2](https://www.spirlix.com/spirit/drambuie/). It is one of Scotland's whisky-based liqueurs and a key ingredient of the Rusty Nail cocktail[3](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/scottish-liqueurs-guide) • [4](https://www.spiritsanddistilling.com/dictionary/acref-9780199311132-e-404). The brand has been owned by [William Grant & Sons](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-grant-and-sons), the family company behind [Glenfiddich](https://www.edgepedia.org/glenfiddich) and The Balvenie, since 2014[2](https://www.spirlix.com/spirit/drambuie/) • [5](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/glayva-vs-drambuie).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Scotch whisky liqueur: aged blended Scotch base, heather honey, herbs and spices[1](https://www.liquor.com/recipes/rusty-nail/) |
| Alcohol | 40% ABV[6](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/drambuie-liqueur/) |
| Name | From Scots Gaelic *An Dram Buidheach*, "The Drink that Satisfies"[2](https://www.spirlix.com/spirit/drambuie/) |
| Company | The Drambuie Liqueur Company Ltd, established 1908; company number SC014666[7](https://www.diffordsguide.com/producers/50/the-drambuie-liqueur-company-ltd/history) • [8](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC014666/persons-with-significant-control) |
| Owner | William Grant & Sons, since 2014[2](https://www.spirlix.com/spirit/drambuie/) |
| Signature cocktail | The Rusty Nail, blended Scotch and Drambuie, classically 2:1[4](https://www.spiritsanddistilling.com/dictionary/acref-9780199311132-e-404) |
| Price | Around £32–38 per bottle in the UK; $35 in the 2008 Wine Enthusiast review[5](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/glayva-vs-drambuie) • [6](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/drambuie-liqueur/) |
## Flavor profile
Drambuie is built on a base of aged Scotch sourced from various malts across Scotland, fortified with heather honey and flavored with herbs and spices; the producer states that only three people know the exact recipe[1](https://www.liquor.com/recipes/rusty-nail/). A Wine Enthusiast blind tasting found layers of honey, heather, pine needle, thyme, and salty single malt Scotch on the nose, with a thick, gently sweet entry balanced by a strong herbal quality; the reviewer called it one of the best liqueurs available and scored it in the 96–100 band[6](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/drambuie-liqueur/). Consumer tasting notes converge on the same core: honey, herbs, orange, and licorice or anise, with a rich, syrupy, full-bodied mouthfeel and a pronounced sweetness[9](https://distiller.com/spirits/drambuie/tastes). At 40% ABV it is stronger than most cream or fruit liqueurs[6](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/drambuie-liqueur/).
## History
The brand's own marketing ties the recipe to a legend involving Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie): an early 20th-century advertisement in *Scots Pictorial Magazine* described Drambuie as "The Skye Liqueur" and said it was first made on the [Isle of Skye](https://www.edgepedia.org/isle-of-skye) in 1745, introduced from France by a follower of the Prince[7](https://www.diffordsguide.com/producers/50/the-drambuie-liqueur-company-ltd/history). The documented commercial history is more recent. According to one account, in 1893 the drink was patented as Drambuie by a hotelier family who persuaded the MacKinnons to batch and sell what had until then been a hand-me-down family recipe[10](https://distiller.com/articles/drambuie-cocktails/). Difford's Guide records the Drambuie Liqueur Company as established in 1908, and describes Drambuie as Scotland's most famous liqueur[7](https://www.diffordsguide.com/producers/50/the-drambuie-liqueur-company-ltd/history).
The company remains a registered Scottish entity. [Companies House](https://www.edgepedia.org/companies-house) lists The Drambuie Liqueur Company Ltd under company number SC014666, with Drambuie Limited, registered at Bellshill, Scotland, holding 75% or more of shares and voting rights and the right to appoint or remove directors, a control relationship notified on 6 April 2016[8](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC014666/persons-with-significant-control). William Grant & Sons purchased the brand in 2014, and the liqueur continues to be blended in Glasgow[2](https://www.spirlix.com/spirit/drambuie/).
## The Rusty Nail and other cocktails
The Rusty Nail is a two-ingredient drink of blended Scotch and Drambuie, and it is the most famous cocktail to call for the liqueur[4](https://www.spiritsanddistilling.com/dictionary/acref-9780199311132-e-404). The name was first recorded in 1961 and appears to have originated in New York City; the drink became commonplace in postwar America, and its adoption by [Frank Sinatra](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-sinatra)'s Rat Pack helped spread its popularity[4](https://www.spiritsanddistilling.com/dictionary/acref-9780199311132-e-404). Earlier antecedents are contested: cocktail historian David Wondrich traced the mixing of Scotch with Drambuie back to 1937 and a drink called the B.I.F., for the British Industries Fair, while other accounts credit the bartenders of Manhattan's 21 Club in the early 1960s[11](https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/1721/rusty-nail) • [1](https://www.liquor.com/recipes/rusty-nail/). By the 1960s the now-standard combination had solidified and won the endorsement of Gina MacKinnon, then chairwoman of the Drambuie Liqueur Company, who backed "Rusty Nail" as the drink's official name[12](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/recipe/rusty-nail-cocktail-scotch/).
Proportions vary widely. The classic spec is two parts Scotch to one part Drambuie, served on the rocks; Old Mister Boston called for equal parts, Ted Haigh prefers 2:1, and some modern versions go as dry as 4:1[4](https://www.spiritsanddistilling.com/dictionary/acref-9780199311132-e-404) • [1](https://www.liquor.com/recipes/rusty-nail/). Difford's Guide suggests around 3:1 suits most palates, and an optional dash of [Angostura bitters](https://www.edgepedia.org/angostura-bitters) is often recommended to cut the sweetness[11](https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/1721/rusty-nail) • [12](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/recipe/rusty-nail-cocktail-scotch/). The brand markets the Rusty Nail under trademark, so it is not a Rusty Nail cocktail without Drambuie[13](https://drambuie.com/en/cocktails/). Beyond it, the liqueur appears in coffee serves such as the Isle of Skye Speciality Coffee and in modern brand recipes like the Drambuie Fresco and the [Hootenanny](https://www.edgepedia.org/hootenanny)[3](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/scottish-liqueurs-guide) • [13](https://drambuie.com/en/cocktails/).
## Drambuie and Glayva
Drambuie's main Scottish rival is Glayva, and the two are Scotland's best-known whisky liqueurs[5](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/glayva-vs-drambuie). Glayva was launched in Edinburgh in 1947, takes its name from the Scots Gaelic *glè mhath*, "very good", and is owned by Whyte & Mackay; the two brands are independent[5](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/glayva-vs-drambuie). Glayva is lighter at 35% ABV against Drambuie's 40%, carries a more prominent tangerine and citrus character, and typically costs £22–25 against Drambuie's £32–38[5](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/glayva-vs-drambuie) • [3](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/scottish-liqueurs-guide). In cocktails the distinction is practical: Drambuie's stronger whisky presence and anise complexity suit classic Scotch drinks like the Rusty Nail and Bobby Burns, while Glayva works better on its own or in citrus-forward serves, and substituting it in a Rusty Nail pushes the drink sweeter and shallower[5](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/glayva-vs-drambuie).
## References
1. [Rusty Nail Cocktail Recipe, Liquor.com (Dale DeGroff)](https://www.liquor.com/recipes/rusty-nail/)
2. [Drambuie, Spirlix](https://www.spirlix.com/spirit/drambuie/)
3. [Scottish Liqueurs: Every Brand Worth Buying, TasteSCOT](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/scottish-liqueurs-guide)
4. [Rusty Nail, The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails](https://www.spiritsanddistilling.com/dictionary/acref-9780199311132-e-404)
5. [Glayva vs Drambuie: Which Whisky Liqueur to Buy?, TasteSCOT](https://tastescot.co.uk/spirits/glayva-vs-drambuie)
6. [Drambuie Liqueur Rating and Review, Wine Enthusiast](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/drambuie-liqueur/)
7. [History, The Drambuie Liqueur Company Ltd, Difford's Guide](https://www.diffordsguide.com/producers/50/the-drambuie-liqueur-company-ltd/history)
8. [The Drambuie Liqueur Company Ltd, persons with significant control, Companies House](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC014666/persons-with-significant-control)
9. [Drambuie Reviews, Distiller](https://distiller.com/spirits/drambuie/tastes)
10. [Drambuie Cocktails: How To Use Drambuie, Distiller](https://distiller.com/articles/drambuie-cocktails/)
11. [Rusty Nail Cocktail Recipe, Difford's Guide](https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/1721/rusty-nail)
12. [How to Make a Rusty Nail Cocktail, Wine Enthusiast](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/recipe/rusty-nail-cocktail-scotch/)
13. [Drambuie Cocktails, drambuie.com](https://drambuie.com/en/cocktails/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Beverages and drink culture › Spirits, cocktails, and alcoholic drink culture › Liqueurs, vermouth, and aperitif/digestif drinks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license