undergone by some distilleries, their brands may be associated with a great deal of prestige. As such, proprietary bottlings can sometimes command a higher price than an independently bottled whisky from the same distillery. Because of this, independently bottled whisky is often much cheaper, which can enable connoisseurs and whisky drinkers to try "rarer", older whisky without paying quite so much. However, as distilleries often strive for consistency, and are careful not to tarnish their reputations, their branded bottlings can sometimes be more reliable. Secret bottlings Some whiskies that are bottled by independent bottlers are marketed without identification of the source distillery. These are often referred to as "secret bottlings". The distiller may be unnamed because the distilleries that produce them only want their name associated with whisky released by themselves, or because the bottler wants to have the ability to buy from various distilleries without changing their label or revealing their trade secrets. This type of secrecy is not always absolute. An example of a not-so-secret bottling is the "Tactical Selection" from Douglas Laing & Co's Old Malt Cask range. The bottlers have not stated the distillery, but in the style of many independent bottlings, there are clues as to its origins. In this case, the clue is a geographical location; Tactical Selection was distilled on the Isle of Skye – which is home to only one whisky distillery, Talisker. Tactics such as these may allow bottlers to indicate their source without breaching trademark or contract agreements. Regulation in Scotland Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations of 2009, it became unlawful for Single Malt Scotch Whisky (only Single Malts – not blends) to be exported from Scotland other than in a bottle labelled for retail sale, effective 23 November 2012. Section 7 of the Act contains the pertinent provisions: (2) During the period until (and including) 22nd November 2012, a person must not move any Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Scotland to another country in a wooden cask or other wooden holder. (3) On and after 23rd November 2012 a person must not move any Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Scotland to another country except in a bottle (made of any inert material) that is labelled for retail sale. See also Whisky Cask strength Chill filtering Kentucky Bourbon Distillers – a Bardstown (Kentucky) based independent bottler of Bourbon and Rye whiskies (which has also resumed operating as an actual distillery