It all began in 1923 when Francis Berry and Hugh Rudd, one of his partners in the firm Berry Bros. & Rudd, founded in 1698, decided to produce a whisky "better than any that could be bought on the market." Thus was born Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky, an original style of whisky developed specifically for international markets and produced with the finest malts and grain whiskies from Scotland's Speyside region. Traditionally, whiskies of the time were dark, but Cutty Sark was revolutionary due to its naturally light color. It was a Scottish artist named James McBey who suggested the name "Cutty Sark" for the new whisky, after the fastest and most famous Scottish sailing ship, a tea carrier, launched at Dumbarton on November 22, 1869.