Field Briefs: Blended Malts on a Budget
Whisky Details: Naked Grouse Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Nose: Stewed fruits, soft leather, lacquered wood— it was all very sherried and classy, wispy smoke and charred wood, hints of caramelized mushrooms and sherry, toasted peppercorns, chocolate soufflé.
Palate: Medium-bodied, rich sherry fruits and soft leather, dark chocolate, lacquered wood, malty biscuits and honey, sherried and classy, wispy candle smoke, charred wood, slightly drying toward the end.
Finish: Medium-length with sour cherry desserts and malty caramel waffles.
Score: 6 (76)
Mental Image: Chef’s Coffee and Chocolate Waffle Dessert
Narrative & Notes: Once the spiritual home of the Famous Grouse, the Glenturret elements of the blend stood out wonderfully here with plenty of rich sherried malt dominating the proceedings. The distillery has since shed any connection to the blend, whose visitor experience was once focused on it. I have never tried many of the Famous Grouse varieties— they really do not appear in the United States as often as other markets— so this was a lovely introduction. Overall, rich and balanced, ideal for an evening when I want something approachable and easy, but richer than the lighter, more orchard-fruit driven profiles of Chivas or Dewars, and not quite as peat-forward as the Johnnie Walker Double Back. I would also put this a bit ahead of similarly priced blended malts like Monkey Shoulder.
Whisky Details: MacNair's Lum Reek Peated Small Batch
Nose: Acrid and slightly chemical— like a small bench fire in a high school science lab, limes and charred lemons combined with salt for hints of margaritas, fried lemon grass.
Palate: Medium to light-bodied, mellow creosote and fresh asphalt, charred wood, citrus, peppery-mineral, hints of grilled pineapple on a dirty grill top, ashy toward the end.
Finish: Medium to long, gentle and slightly acrid with charred grass, hot parking lot, and tropical citrus.
Score: 4 (71)
Mental Image: Abandoned Pineapples in the Parking Lot
Narrative & Notes: The palate was surprisingly approachable considering the nose felt acrid and chemical. This reminded me a lot of Brave New Spirit’s Lighthouse Blend; though this had a bit heavier mouthfeel and stronger peat notes, the flavors were not as clearly defined and varied. I love a good peated whisky— in fact, I may be very biased in that direction— but this was not something I would look to have again or order at a bar. I would rather have something else, even if this was not bad, it was not that appealing and it felt short of the high floor that the prototypical independent bottler label Caol Ila has set. Overall, I could see this as a cocktail ingredient, but not much more.
Whisky Details: Maclean's Nose Blended Scotch Whisky
Nose: Wispy smoke filtered in with orchard fruits, cooked apples, autumn leaves and dry vegetation, old leather, hints of mothballs, buttery pie crust.
Palate: Light-bodied with cooked apples, old leather, cigar boxes, moth balls, a touch of burnt and slightly bitter caramel, charred wood, dry autumn leaves, hints of petrichor/earth.
Finish: Medium-length with a touch of soot and autumn.
Score: 5 (73)
Mental Image: Cleaning the Oven
Narrative & Notes: “For the price, this is pretty darn good” concludes just about every review of this bottle. I do not disagree with that, and there are few bottles in the same price range that can match the same savory profile; or, are suitable to drink straight up and not mix in cocktails. I would certainly pick this up above many of the bottles I listed above under the Naked Grouse review, but I would pick up that bird over this just about any day. The aroma was the star with tons of savory elements— the palate was not bad, but it was quite light and I found it a touch bitter, like caramel cooked a bit too long. That bitterness lingered onto the finish and always felt a tad askew from everything else. Overall, I would accept a pour of this, but I would not go out looking for it.
