The Angels' Share® Tartan - the story in the weave

The Angels’ Share® tartan was designed to celebrate Scotch Whisky ...Scotland's world famous national drink! Created not only to reflect the rich chroma and amber tones of Scotch Whisky the tartan also visibly portrays 'the Angels' Share' - the 2% portion of distilled alcohol (said to be taken by the  Angels) which evaporates though the oak barrel during the whisky maturation process.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The tartan was created with two visions in mind (...and with the 'help' of a few wee drams O' Spirit!): Firstly, being inspired by visible LIGHT! Observing Scotch Whisky as it appears in the glass ...and in the  bottle. The refracting and bending light glinting with decadent amber, golden and bronze hues. This forms the basis of the first pivot, its and decorative arrangement ...and ‘stained glass effect’.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Secondly, the tartan is created to luminesce with ‘spiritual’ Angel Light! ...glowing with an ethereal aura as the form of prone Angel wings appear within the geometric elements of the sett. Thus woven into the tartan itself appear the IMAGES of ANGELS ...taking their claimed portion of alcohol from the distilling spirit.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The tartan then in simplistic terms pays tribute to the production process of this age old and beloved drink, the colours, geometry, thread count and rationale all blending together to weave a tale of celebration ...as well as  represent the primary ingredients of Scotch Whisky.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

THE COLOURS - The seven colours in the tartan each have significance - the number 7 also having the spiritual meaning of ‘completeness and perfection’.

 

~

 

The ice BLUE in the tartan (in the first pivot), becomes the complementary balance within the colour palette. The cool and pure colour of our Scottish water, one of the three principal ingredients of Scotch Whisky.

 

~

 

Deepest INDIGO, then emulates the colour of coal, the fuel traditionally used to fire the pot stills when boiling the wash.

 

~

 

The third colour in the sett represents the BROWN of the aged oak barrel ...the rich and warm russet hue of this yarn adding both to the ‘warmth’ in the tartan, as well as alluding to the coppery tones of the Scottish pot stills (...The distillation cauldrons that play a major part in the whisky production process).

 

~

 

The SHADES CREATED between the Blue, Indigo and Brown portray the colours of our Scottish peat ...and the smoke produced when the peat is burned during the traditional smoke malting of the barley.

 

~

 

40 AMBER threads (in the second pivot) represent the spirit itself and the minimum 40% proof of Scotch Whisky ...with the 60 brown threads (in the unaffected brown block) completing the 100% liquid volume.

 

~

 

The wide OCHRE stripe in the tartan represents the yeast, the second principal ingredient ...used to ferment the whisky.

 

Significantly then, the two narrow ochre stripes in the pattern (superimposed UPON the brown block) visibly portrays ‘the Angels’ Share’ ...the impression given in the tartan that the 2% volume of alcohol is evaporating through the wooden oak cask.

 

~

 

The golden YELLOW stripe represents the ripened barley ...the third principal ingredient  in the whisky making process. This colour when  combined with the amber, ochre and russet brown then creates the rich colour palette of Scotch Whisky within the tartan.

 

~

 

The final and seventh colour, WHITE, represents the Angels themselves …the colour not only creating the LIGHT in the tartan, but also alluding to the dancing ’sparkle’ in the  whisky glass...a mesmerising effect produced after consuming a few drams of Scotch!

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Historically known as Uisge Beatha, in Scottish Gaelic, the ancient name for the spirit was translated from the Latin Aqua Vitae meaning 'Water of Life'.