Kategoriarkiv: Unspecified

Cutty Sark, Unspecified

Cutty Sark Original

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and ethanol driven. At first there’s a cloud of ethanol coming from the grain spirit together with mild vanillin and some fresh fruits. There’s sweet honey and just a hint of a floral note coming through, as well as some seaweed. The nose is quite monotone and not that interesting, but it’s alright for a cheap blend.

Mouth: It starts out a bit watery but soon there’s a nice fruity and malty core. There’s a grain spirit note surrounding the core and it’s somewhat metallic, but it’s not overpowering and doesn’t really make it taste too bad. There’s a nutty oakiness on the edges and a slightly bitter note somewhere on the inside. The core produces ripe red apples, vanilla and a hint of sweet liquorice.

Finish: It starts out surprisingly malty and the fruitiness and sweetness are intact with honey and ripe apples. The grain spirit slowly builds up and when it’s on the top of the curve it’s somewhat unpleasant, but still not too bad. The oak comes through once again and it’s still a nice, nutty oakiness. The sweet liquorice lingers in the mouth in the late finish. It feels slightly better than the standard cheap blend.

Additional information
This blend has been around since 1923 and is owned by Berry Brothers & Rudd. The content isn’t disclosed but the base is said to be whisky from The Glenrothes Distillery.

Lauder’s, Unspecified

Lauder’s Finest Scotch Whisky

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is a big bucket of butterscotch. Behind that massive wall there are notes of vanilla and a layer of harsh grain spirit. There’s a metallic note in the back together with a small hint of salted peanuts. It’s very mild and easy on the nose.

Mouth: Very mild start, again with the massive butterscotch and vanilla flavours. There’s an aspartam sweetness and a bitterness both sitting in the back. There’s still a metallic layer coating the mouth and notes of the harsh grain spirit is still coming through the pretty butterscotch. This is very one-dimensional.

Finish: The Butterscotch and vanilla dominates from the start, but they are soon replaced by a dry, very bitter oakiness. It’s not a very pleasant oakiness and the bitterness clashes with the remaining butterscotch note. The metallic layer is still coating the mouth long after everything else disappeared. This is drinkable neat but should be used as a mixer.

Additional information
The Lauder’s brand was created in 1836 and the origin of this blend goes back as far as 1815. The only information about the content is that it’s made from a blend of Highland, Lowland and Speyside whiskies.

Latitude 55 Degrees, Unspecified

The Latitude 55 Degrees

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is badly aged grainspirit and butterscotch. At first, there’s a piercing metallic sweetness and a hint of vanilla. After a few seconds it switches towards butterscotch. With some Imagination, there are some coastal notes in the background with seaweed and ocean air, but overall this is just unpleasant.

Mouth: It starts out flat and sweet and after a while the butterscotch builds up and takes over. The unpleasant grain spirit notes are still in there, but they have taken a step back. There’s no coastal notes here at all but there is a hint of the oak coming through. There is a small glimmer of ripe fruits in the background, but it’s in no way helping this along. This is one-dimensional, and it’s not a good dimension.

Finish: It starts out with the metallic note up front and once again the butterscotch note comes out thick and pertruding. The oakiness is a bit late, but when it comes it’s actually not that bad. It’s got a nutty side to it, close to walnuts. This is not a whisky to be used as a neat pour. This should only be used as a mixer.

Additional information
Produced for the swedish market and blended by a swedish blender, Folke Anderson, known for making Grönstedts cognac. According to the official representatives it contains some islay malt and a lot of the content is sherry matured.

Grant’s, Unspecified

Grant`s Family Reserve

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is grainy and sweet. At first there’s a thick layer of badly aged grain spirit and an aspartame sweetness. There’s also a black liquorice note and just a tiny hint of heather, and, with some imagination, a hint of fruits. With time in the glass vanilla starts to come forward. This helps it along a little, but it’s basically just very unpleasant and sharp.

Mouth: It starts out very watery and after a second or two the grain spirit start to come through which isn’t a good thing. It comes with some vanilla, liquorice and honey notes, but mostly with a not-so-good bitterness. There is still a tiny hint of fruits and heather, but it’s buried deep within the unpleasantries.

Finish: A small surge of vanilla sweetness pass by on the way to a very flat and boring oakiness. The vanilla hangs on, but it’s just creating a thin veil above the bitter oak. The finish is rather short which in this case is a good thing. This is one of the worst scotch blends I’ve ever tasted and should not be had neat, nor be used as a mixer. In fact, it should only be used as a last resort kind of drink.

Additional information
The Family Reserve contains a lot of different whiskies and is based on single grain whisky from Girvan. It is aged in virgin oak, american ex-bourbon oak, and refill american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It’s made by William Grant & Sons.

Queen Margot, Unspecified

Queen Margot 3 YO

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is butterscotch and liquorice. The first thing to come through is a rather unpleasant cloud of badly aged grain spirit. When the nose gets used to it the butterscotch and liquorice start to shine through. There are notes of overripe fruits and honey too. All the notes feel artificial and overshadowed by the grain spirit.

Mouth: It starts out with the same butterscotch and badly aged grain spirit as on the nose. It takes a while for the liquorice to penetrate the other flavours. There is a vague sign of sherry casks being in the mix, but they are just contributing to the butterscotch and not a fruitiness. It’s quite bitter and not in a good way. It doesn’t promote swallowing.

Finish: The artificial butterscotch and the grain spirit still dominate. It soon switches over to a bland and bitter oakiness. The finish is not too long, which is a good thing. This should only be used as a mixer and not consumed neat. Kudos for the bold age statement though.

Additional information
This blend is bottled by Wallace & Young Distillers Co. and the content is not disclosed. It’s sold by the supermarket chain Lidl.

King Robert II, Unspecified

King Robert II

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very metallic with an unpleasant butterscotch up front. There’s a very harsh grain spirit coming through and the young distillate is very cardboardy. There’s a very unpleasant smell of a public urinal in the background. There’s some vanilla in the mix making it slightly more bearable. A strange note of burnt plywood appear with time in the glass.

Mouth: Still very metallic. The butterscotch is accompanied by toffee, vanilla and a tiny spice note. It’s flat in taste and the butterscotch is clinging to the mouth. There’s a bitterness coming through but it seems not to be connected to any specific flavour. With some imagination there’s a lemon note to be found in the back. It’s not as unpleasant in the taste as on the nose. There’s no oak notes present yet.

Finish: It starts out kind of bland and watery. The Butterscotch is still clinging to the mouth. There’s a tiny oak note finally appearing, but it’s flat and the entire thing sort of crumbles like a house of cards. In the end there’s just the metallic note left. This should not be consumed neat or on the rocks. I would use it as a mixer only.

Additional information
The brand was created in 1968 and it’s a blend made by Ian MacLeod Distillers. It’s stated that this blend uses older malts to give it a robust taste, but it’s not stated how old and which ones.

Talisman, Unspecified

The Talisman

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet malt and butterscotch. At first there’s a heavy layer of grain spirit with a base of vanilla and butterscotch. There’s a feint hay note in the background. With time in the glass a sweet maltiness builds up. There’s an unpleasant note somewhere in the middle which seem to come from within the grain spirit. It also seems like there are ex-sherry casks in the mix because there are overripe berry notes buried deep within. This is an overly sweet nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and it sort of prickles the toungue. The butterscotch comes marching in and it is accompanied with the maltiness and the unpleasant grain spirit note. The small hay note sits around the edges and it’s now clear that it’s coming from peat. This outer layer works itself inwards and actually makes it an okay experience after a while. The oakiness do come through here, but it’s quite anonomous and uninteresting with a bland bitterness to it.

Finish: Vanilla and just a feint hint of raisins pass by before it becomes a fight between the unpleasant grain spirit and the bland, bitter oakiness. All the flavours die down quickly and all that’s left is a mild cloud of ethanol and a hint of butterscotch. The peaty hay note return in the late finish as a thin outer layer. The finish is by far worst part of an otherwise decent put together cheap blend.

Additional information
The Talisman is made by J&W Hardie, which is owned by Tomatin. It contains 25 malt whiskies that make up 40 % of the blend. The other 60 % consists of 4 grain whiskies. 1 % of the blend is an unnamed islay malt. The youngest component is 5 YO.

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Dundee, Unspecified

For Peat’s Sake

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very vanilla heavy with an artificial butterscotch note attached to it. There’s a wet peatiness surrounding everything, which kind of masks the unpleasant harsh young grain spirit notes. There’s still a cardboardy smell coming through though. There’s a lack of depth and it’s not promoting a wider search for things within.

Mouth: It’s just watery and bland. The main focus is still on the vanilla and an unpleasant sweetness is now added. The butterscotch is still there. A small fruit note briefly passes by and the peaty touch is there, but more subtle than on the nose. After a few sips the peatiness is nowhere to be found. There’s also a metallic note coming through.

Finish: There’s an increase of the already heavy vanilla from the start and a slight spicyness shows up. The whole thing then basically collapses leaving just a tanniny oak and some scattered peat notes. The butterscotch reappears and clings to the mouth and together with a metallic note makes the finish rather unpleasant.

Additional information
This is made by Angus Dundee Distillers. They tell a story about a maltman nicknamed Mr. Peat, who shuffled way too much peat into the Kiln, and thus created a heavily peated whisky. The content is not disclosed, but the company owns two single malt distilleries, which probably contributes to the taste. Those are Tomintoul and Glencadam.

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Bell’s, Unspecified

Bell’s Blended Scotch Whisky

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This Is sweet and unpleasant. A mix of harsh grain spirit and menthol fight with butterscotch and vanilla for the attention. A hint of baked red apples and pie crust come through after some time in the glass, but it remains one-dimensional and shallow.

Mouth: Watery at first then the overly sweet butterscotch note comes marching in. There’s a hint of fruitiness behind the unpleasant harshness. A tanniny oakiness slowly builds up. It’s very bitter, but not in a good way. The vanilla notes is kind of surrounding everything in a thin outer layer.

Finish: Everything except the oak and the harshness dies quite quickly and things just end in an unpleasant oakiness. There are traces left of butterscotch and vanilla, but they just kind of make the bitterness worse. There are hints of good things within, but they are well hidden.

Additional information
Bell’s consists of malts from the islands as well as speyside. Blair Athol, Dufftown, Glenkinchie, Caol Ila and Inchgower are identified as parts of the whole.

High Commissioner, Unspecified

High Commissioner

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 4
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is overly sweet and metallic. The first thing to hit the nose is the grain spirit. After that, it’s butterscotch with a sharp metallic smell to it. Around the edges there’s a hint of peat and a fruity and floral layer sits just inside. It’s hard to pinpoint, but there is a thin note of clementines. In the background there is a wall of cardboard shining through. This is somewhat unpleasant on the nose.

Mouth: It starts out with a sharp bittness and a huge chunk of butterscotch. The peat is still sitting in an outer layer, but it’s not as noticable as on the nose. The fruity and floral notes are still detectable, but they are further back. With time there’s a honey/vanilla note emerging. It still very metallic and the grain spirit is dominating.

Finish: At first there’s just the taste of young grain spirit together with the butterscotch clining to the mouth. After a second or two, the oak takes over. It’s grey oak planks with a speck of dust on them. A hint of hazelnuts can be found with some imagination. It’s still very metallic and there’s also a hint of bitter lemon shining through. The peat is not present at all in the finish. This tastes like the cheap blend it is.

Additional information
The High Commissioner brand is owned by the Loch Lomond group. The content of this blended whisky is not disclosed.

Dundee, Unspecified

The Dundee Finest Blended Whisky

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and grainy. At first the grain spirit really hits the nose. It’s harsh and a bit unpleasant. After a few seconds vanilla and butterscotch build up. The sweetness coming through feels somewhat like a generic artificial sweetener. A feint smell of seashore and a metallic note both reside far away in the back.

Mouth: It starts out very watery with a metallic note as the only thing coming through for a second or two. After this it becomes very grain heavy with a clingy butterscotch, a hint of bitter oak and a soft vanilla base, which actually isn’t too bad. There’s a hint of sweet liquorice surrounding the edges. This is quite unpleasant.

Finish: A big hit of the butterscotch and vanilla soon disappears and a very bitter oak together with the grain spirit take over. There’s not much more to be found. This should be used as a mixer and not be consumed neat. It’s a cheap blend and that really shines through.

Additional information
This is made by Angus Dundee Distillers. The content is not disclosed, but the company owns two single malt distilleries, which probably contributes to the taste. Those are Tomintoul and Glencadam.

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Johnny Walker, Unspecified

Johnny Walker Red Label

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and metallic. The first thing to come through is a grain sweetness and a hint of peat. Behind that is a rather unpleasant metallic note. There’s a butterscotch layer, but it’s much more toned down campared to other cheap blends. A hint of red apples and some honey can be found in the back. It’s not offensive on the nose, but it does tell the tale of a cheap whisky.

Mouth: The metallic youthness and the grain sweetness are first to arrive. They are accompanied with a spicy note. Soon after butterscotch comes through. The peat is building up and creats an outside layer giving it a nice frame. This is a rollercoaster ride between good and bad. The fruitiness is completely gone and there is a struggle between the grain and the malt for attention.

Finish: The spicyness mellows out and becomes a menthol note. Then it once again turns to grain sweetness and butterscotch. The oakiness arrives after a few seconds and it’s a fresh, slightly dry oak. It’s not unpleasant, but doesn’t produce any complexity. This is actually a bit better than its reputation, but it’s by no means a very good tasting whisky.

Additional information
The Red Label is the best selling scotch in the world. The content isn’t disclosed but it’s said to contain 35 different kind of whiskies. It was created in 1906 as the ”Special Old Highland Whisky”.

Famous Grouse, Unspecified

Famous Grouse

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is harsh and sweet. At first the grain distillate is dominating with some butterscotch and honey in the background. It’s very metallic and rather unpleasant on the nose. After a while a layer of vanilla comes forward and makes it a little bit better. A maltiness is noticable when digging deep.

Mouth: At first it’s watery, then an artificial sweetness takes over together with the honey and the butterscotch. There’s a lemon note in the back and a tiny spicyness on the tip of the toungue. A bitterness builds up and takes over. It’s not an especially nice bitterness though.

Finish: Spicy at first, then grainy and sweet. The butterscotch increases and takes a bigger role in the finish. The harsh grain spirit gives an unpleasant alcohol note which lingers when the bitterness returns with an oakiness. The finish is longer than expected, but that is not a good thing. This should be used as a mixer and not consumed beat.

Additional information
The Grouse Brand was released in 1896 and two years later the name was changed to The Famous Grouse because of its popularity. Edrington uses Glenturret malt, but also some Macallan and Highland Park in this blend.

Chivas Regal, Unspecified

Chivas Regal 12 YO

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild and sweet. Butterscotch and sweet liquorice sit behind a very thin veil of harsh grain spirit. The oakiness is in the background together with some honey. A hint of green fruits peeks through every now and then. This is a bit uneventful and too friendly.

Mouth: It starts out extremely mild with butterscotch, honey and just a small glimmer of fresh fruits arriving all together. A touch of lemon sits in the back while a small spicyness builds up on the toungue, but it never really takes off. A bitter note and the oakiness come through after a few seconds. It is a bit dry, but it takes a few sips to really notice that.

Finish: Mild peppermint and butterscotch lead way to a small hint green apples. There are dry soil notes coming through in the background before it moves over to a very pronounced oakiness. It’s just a tad bitter and the oak feels like old grey wooden planks. The oakiness stays by itself for a pretty long finish. A small metallic note is left when the oak subsides.

Additional information
The content of this blend isn’t disclosed, but it’s revealed that it has a base in Speyside malts like Longmorn, Strathisla, Glenlivet and Aberlour. There are also whiskies from the Highlands and Islay in the blend.

Johnny Walker, Unspecified

Johnny Walker 10 YO Select Casks – Rye Cask Finish

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Scotland unsp.
Type: Blended
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is candy cane and pine trees. The first impact is extremely sweet and the rye Cask finish is very noticable. The candy cane note consists of vanilla, peppermint, spices and honey. The grain distillate sits as a backdrop and gives it a thick layer of added sweetness. There are some Bassett’s allsorts somewhere in the back and a minty layer on top. It is actually kind of nice on the nose and the 10+ years have removed most of the harshness from the grain distillate.

Mouth: It’s very watery at first and then the rye spices and the pine notes take over. It’s not as sweet as on the nose which is a good thing, but there’s a thick vanilla layer sitting in the back. A slight bitterness builds up after a few seconds but it never turns over to become an oakiness. It feels quite light and lacks some depth. The rye spices really build up after a few sips.

Finish: A cloud of menthol fills the mouth and then disappears equally fast. The pine note becomes very pronounced and the candy cane now sits in the back. It stays this way a long time before a subtle oakiness finally arrives. It’s a touch dry and it never really takes front seat until everything else sort of allows it to. This is overall actually a quite enjoyable blend.

Additional information
This is the first release in Johnnie Walker’s Select Casks range. It’s made up by blending whiskies matured in first fill american oak casks for at least 10 years and then finished in american ex-rye casks.

Anchor, Unspecified

Anchor 10 YO Peated Edition

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Not a full review made. Here’s some pointer notes taken:

Nose: Feint fruitiness, hint of seaweed, oak, vanilla and a mild peat smoke.

Mouth: Mild with vanilla, peat smoke, oak, malt and honey.

Finish: Oak, Peat smoke, some honey sweetness and vanilla.

Additional information
The Anchor 10 YO is exclusively made for the swedish market by the Edrington Group. It’s aged in refill ex-sherry casks.

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Glen Orchy, Unspecified

Glen Orchy 8 YO – Pure Malt

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Scotland unspecified
Type: Blended Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 1/5

Tasting notes
Nose: Mild, hints of vanilla, sherry and licorice, chalk.

Mouth: Tasteless, tiny amount of bitter oak, some sweetness.

Finish: Long finish of bitter oak.

Additional information
Glen Orchy is a brand sold at Lidl and is supplied by Clydesdale, which is owned by Whyte & Mackay. The content isn’t disclosed.