A bottling of Bell's blended whisky from the 1970s is really quite special. 

Bell's Extra Special was the original name for Bell's Original, one of the best selling blended whisky brands in the world.

Bell's blended whisky was created by Arthur Bell in Perth in 1851 when he owned a small shop in Perth, Scotland which traded in whisky and tea. Since then is has enjoyed huge popularity across the world with the slogan, "Afore ye go" becoming well-known. At its heart is malt from the Blair Athol distillery and from 1974 until 1993 Pittyvaich was used in the blend.

The history of Arthur Bell & Sons dates back to the mid-19th century, however it was not until the 1930s that they became a big name player in the Scotch industry, acquiring the Blair Athol and Dufftown distilleries from P. Mackenzie & Co in 1932, and Inchgower from Moray Town Council four years later. 

The company placed its focus on the domestic market, and commanded 35% of it by the 1970s, with Bell's Extra Special the best-selling brand in Scotland. The firm was bought over by Guinness in 1985, who in turn procured DCL the following year. Today Bell's blends are still produced by its modern iteration, Diageo.