White Horse was once of the biggest blended whisky brands and a central part of the sprawling Distillers Company Limited’s empire. Some of the earliest bottles can fetch a pretty penny at auction, especially if they are in good condition. Bottles from roughly 1927-1962, and surely a decade after that, might contain the enigmatic distillery Malt Mill in the blend. That micro-distillery, which once existed within Lagavulin, was created to mimic the style of Laphroaig after a falling out between two. White Horse is just about the only way for someone curious about the distillery to possibly encounter it as it was never bottled as a single malty beyond a couple of cask samples.

This bottle is sadly a bit late to contain any Malt Mill and sits closer to the precipice of White Horse’s decline.  Diageo still produces the blend today, though only for few export markets.

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Whisky: White Horse Blended Whisky (c. late 70s/early 80s)

Country/Region: Scotland/Blend

ABV: 43%

Cask: Oak

Age: N/A

Notes: Mellow and mild, the aroma offered up antique wooden furniture and plenty of old straw— a bit like gazing at museum pieces with a bit of mineral-stone in the air with dried florals. Old firearms in desperate need of oil and cleaning offered a metallic edge with a tinge of rust and cordite; maybe it was just muskets in the museum again. Apples and carrot cake with a mellow spice lingered further in the background but proved elusive. Light-bodied on the palate, caramel, toffee, ginger and nutmeg arrived first with a bundle of straw, antique wood, and hints of kiwi fruit. A musty dry floral-mineral element hung in the background, something like a stuffy closet and a museum cabinet of curiosities— arrow heads, blunderbusses, and carved ivory. Toward the end a bit of sourness appeared, like yogurt that had gone slightly off.  The finish was short to medium-length with a touch of kiwi fruit, tobacco wrappers, and antique wood.

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Score: 5 (76)

Mental Image: Night at the Museum

Conclusion: The first time I tried this, I swore it was all cabbage water and a touch sulfured— perhaps it was just my palate that night because thereafter the whisky was pleasant and most people I shared it with enjoyed it— some quite a bit. The flavors were mellow and light, a touch incoherent at times, and sometimes sour at the end, but otherwise remarkably well-structured and enjoyable for something bottled 40-45 years ago. The museum notions were lovely and gave this a stately quality, while the low abv left it feeling balanced and easy to drink— it had none of the alcohol burn and raw spirit that so often appears on the typical non-age statement mass market blend today, probably more a product of it sitting in glass for so long than anything else.

Overall, something like this is difficult to judge and maybe my score feels a bit harsh, but it was a wonderfully fun whisky to pour and to share with friends, though not one from an era I will chase down.