Thank you!
to everyone who invested in our seedrs crowdfunding campaign, truly humbled by the response
Great music and amazing whisky can change your world…
Every generation needs its own identity. Its place in history, its reason to exist. It mixes influences and inspirations, and in doing so creates new and amazing experiences and sensations. It is open to new locations, new feelings, yet at the same time stays true to exactly who it is.
This is 8O8.
TommyD is a DJ, a successful music producer and one half of electro soul band Graffiti6. He has worked with everyone from Kanye to Kylie.
Outside of music he has one other passion: Whisky.
In Tommy’s words: ’whisky brings people together. It loosens the tongue, inspires conversation. Like the best dance music it has warmth, bottom end, and a definite KICK. You know where you are with a whisky, there’s a statement going on.’
After years of bringing his music to the world, DJ’ing in some of the most prestigious and significant clubs, Tommy decided to bring his two passions together.
Co founding the company with his business partner Paul Pullinger, an entrepreneur specialising in disruptive innovation, they put together a team, culled from a wide mix of creative people, music experts, whisky specialists, and entrepreneurs, in order to reach out to an audience on the hunt for the exciting and new.
Whisky – but not as you know it. It’s 8O8.
Working with whisky industry legend Jonathan Driver, the team set about designing a grain whisky that would work both as an amazing drink in itself, yet have the subtleness and versatility thats perfect for mixing in cocktails and the simple club serves.
They then took their whisky to the North British distillery, Edinburgh’s last working distillery and one of the largest and oldest grain whisky producers in Scotland.
8O8 is created from a combination of many different grains from maize to barley. Unlike the traditional and more familiar malted barley-based Whiskies, 8O8 is lighter, subtler, smoother – the flavour shines. It feels youthful and exciting, a refreshing change from the heavier malts a lot of people attribute to Whisky.
Yet 8O8 is still full of character and personality. It has more weight and warmth than both tequila and vodka. Yet such is the skill of the blend, it doesn’t feel heavy or overpowering. It’s a beautiful inviting translucent gold in colour, with a flavour incorporating hints of honey, chocolate and vanilla. It cuts through, yet maintains an irresistible back-beat and warmth when mixed.
It’s the Sub Bass of drinks.
8O8’s minimalist bottle design – clean, simple and understated – has been designed by Mark Farrow of ‘The Hacienda’ and ‘Pet Shop Boys’ fame.
808 is young and open-minded. There are no rules. Drink it neat or ice cold. Mix with the familiars, but because of its subtle blend, 808 also combines superbly with berry and citrus juices, coconut water, even Red Bull. It’s your choice.
As Tommy says “Music has always brought people together. That’s its purpose. It’s about a shared experience. You can also lose yourself in the music, find your own zone. The music transports you into another world. But at its heart is a sense of communality – connecting with the world and others who feel the same way as you, no matter what colour or creed you may come from. It’s a family. It’s about celebrating all the things we have in common, yet simultaneously, treasuring what makes us individuals”.
8O8 is the guest list to a fabulous party – It’s the beat that kicks off the night, carrying it on ’til the break of dawn, winding it down when it’s all back to yours – while never losing sight of the person you are.
It’s the soundtrack to the perfect party… the perfect night.
8O8 Whisky – the perfect beat
The Roland TR-808 is a electronic drum machine, produced in the early 80’s by the Roland Corporation. Initially drum machines were produced to recreate the sound and feel of a real drummer but with the release of the 808, they took on a personality and functionality all of their own.
The 808 was one of the first affordable programmable drum machines and because of its price, its relatively easy programmable functions and its distinctive unique sound, fully analogue, made up of synth tones and white noise, it found its way into the hands of many of the early HipHop and House music pioneers, including Afrika Bambaataa, Beastie Boys, Juan Atkins, Carl Craig and A Guy Called Gerald.
The sounds in particular connect with the club and dance world. Crisp hi hats, crunchy snares and a kick drum that pounds the chest, theres no mistaking an 808 sound.
Those sounds are still very much in use today. Miami bass and more recently ‘Trap’ are entirely based around the 808 drum machine and most club tracks have its distinctive sound floating around in the mix and an 808 ‘kik’ smashing the sub.
The 808 lends itself perfectly to our whisky as TommyD, music producer, DJ and founder of 8O8 whisky attests “The 808 changed the world, revolutionised music. The 808 kick can touch your very soul. It’s a slightly religious feeling, warm and resonate, like your connected to a deeper place. I get the same feeling from our 8O8 Whisky, deep and oh so warm. It’s the Sub Bass of drinks”
8O8 is extremely proud to partner with The North British Distillery. NBD is one of the oldest and most respected Grain distilleries in the world. Founded as a co-operative in 1882 by Andrew Usher, William Sanderson and John M. Crabbie, NBD specialises in producing only the grain whisky that is then traditionally blended with malt whisky.
With 8O8 we wanted to create the smoothest whisky on the planet. We blend only aged grain whisky, leaving out the heavier malts, which gives us our distinctive taste, aroma and golden colour.
David Rae, ex managing director of NBD is now on the board of 8O8 and oversees the development of our liquid, ensuring that every bottle is a beautiful and smooth as the last.
Make mine a...
