Bailie Nicol Jarvie (colloquially BNJ) was a brand of whisky which was produced by The Glenmorangie Company in Scotland. It was named after a character in Walter Scott's novel Rob Roy.
It is a blended Scotch whisky, which has a good following in Scotland, but is relatively unknown in other parts of the world.
The label claims "The Bailie Nicol Jarvie we believe, boasts the highest malt content of any blended Scotch whisky".
History
The Bailie Nicol Jarvie was first blended by Nicol Anderson & Co, a Glasgow-based whisky company that was acquired by the whisky company Macdonald & Muir of Leith in 1921. The whisky was named after a character in Sir Walter Scott's renowned novel Rob Roy – a bailie (magistrate) who tackled a sword-wielding Highland clansman in an inn at Clachan of Aberfoyle, setting fire to his kilt with a red-hot poker. The blend was particularly popular in the early 20th century.
The brand was relaunched in 1994 by Glenmorangie plc (as Macdonald & Muir had been renamed). The composition of the blend was changed from the original recipe due to market forces. Single malts from the Highlands, Islay and Speyside are blended together with a grain whisky from Ayrshire. In comparison, many blended whiskies contain between 20 and 40 single malts.
The Bailie Nicol Jarvie was a hotel/public house in Aberfoyle. It has now been turned into flats.