Bailie Nicol Jarvie is a brand of whisky

Whisky

Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...

 distilled and sold by Glenmorangie plc in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. It is named after a character in Walter Scott

Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....

's novel Rob Roy

Rob Roy (novel)

Rob Roy is a historical novel by Walter Scott. It is narrated by Frank Osbaldistone, the son of an English merchant who travels first to the North of England, and subsequently to the Scottish Highlands to collect a debt stolen from his father. On the way he encounters the larger-than-life title...

.
It is a blended scotch whisky, which has a good following in Scotland, but is relatively unknown in other parts of the world.

On the label it claims "The Ballie Nicol Jarvie we believe, boasts the highest malt content of any blended Scotch whisky

Scotch whisky

Scotch whisky is whisky made in Scotland.Scotch whisky is divided into five distinct categories: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Single Grain Scotch Whisky, Blended Malt Scotch Whisky , Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and Blended Scotch Whisky.All Scotch whisky must be aged in oak barrels for at least three...

". This would suggest it is made with around 60% malt whisky

Malt whisky

Malt whisky is whisky that is made from a fermented mash produced primarily from a malted grain. Unless otherwise specified, it is generally assumed that the primary grain is barley, although whisky is also made using malted rye...

 as opposed the 20-40% normally used in blends.

The Bailie Nicol Jarvie was first produced in the 1890s. The original version of the blend, or BNJ as it is also known, was devised by business partners Roderick MacDonald and Alexander Muir during 1893 in the Scottish town of Leith. They named it after a character in Sir Walter Scott's renowned novel Rob Roy - a magistrate who tackled a sword wielding Highland clansman in a remote pub by setting his attacker's kilt on fire. The blend was particularly popular in the early 20th century before suffering a dramatic slump in the 1970s and 80s.

The brand was relaunched in 1994 by the Nicol Anderson & Co. Ltd, also based in Leith near Edinburgh. The composition of the blend was changed from the original recipe due to market forces. Only eight single malts from the Highlands (including Glenmorangie), isle of Islay and Speyside (including Glen Moray) are blended together with grain whisky from the Girvan distillery in Ayrshire. In comparison, many blended whiskies contain between 20-40 single malts. The minimum maturation time in a cask is six years and the final BNJ whisky contains 60% single malt and 40% grain whisky

The English newspaper The Independent

The Independent

The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

ranked it as one of the "Top 10 Best Scotch Whiskies" in 2011.

It is available in Australia through 'Dan Murphy' stores, imported by Woolworths.