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| Hello, that is one in all our (nearly) each day tastings. Santé! |
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October 9, 2024
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Some Excessive-High quality Scottish Blends
(Probably a Half-Botched Tasting)
We’ll attempt to give attention to blended malts or super-blends (blended Scotch with a excessive malt content material), as there are all kinds of them, and so they’re turning into increasingly more widespread. Nevertheless, we are going to attempt to attempt to keep away from the blended malts that are not actually blended, akin to ‘teaspooned malts’. However we might nicely fail. Let’s see what we discover…
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Johnnie Walker 15 yo ‘Inexperienced Label’ (43%, OB, blended malt, +/-2024) 
It’s been eight years since we final tasted the Inexperienced Label, nevertheless it’s at all times been a favorite. Lengthy thought of the Johnnie Walker of selection for malt lovers, and fairly proper too. Color: pale gold. Nostril: moderately contemporary, beginning with notes of hay, malt, and honey, adopted by oranges and a contact of flippantly earthy, smoky tobacco. Then come ripe apples, undergrowth, mushrooms, and a delicate smoke. It’s a very beautiful nostril. Mouth: the 43% fits it completely, with the peat rather more pronounced on the palate than on the nostril. There’s a barely drying contact (pepper, ashes), and a little bit of earthiness. Hints of menthol, eucalyptus, even camphor, adopted by extra honey and chestnut purée. Very nicely composed by Diageo’s Mozarts, although it does fade a bit after about fifteen seconds. End: shorter than anticipated however nice, contemporary, and moderately cheerful. Honey and mint. Feedback: a very good malt, and at 40-50 Euros, a robust contender for BFYB of the month. This one appears a contact peatier than older batches.
SGP:453 – 85 factors. |
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Architectonics (49%, Compass Field, Blended Malt, for LMDW, 1,200 bottles, 2024)
A mix paying homage to the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris, the place Whisky Dwell has been held for a number of years now. It options a few of Compass Field’s favorite malts, like Laphroaig and Clynelish. Color: deep gold. Nostril: complicated, oily, with toasted hazelnuts to start out. Then come smoked sesame, lapsang souchong, beeswax, orange peel, dandelion flower, and Ovaltine. Only a trace of juniper. Mouth: an actual balancing act, with many alternative influences (coastal, charcoal, wax, orchard fruits), but none overpowering the others, although it’s clearly a ‘peated’ whisky at its core. A contact of lemony liquorice too. End: lengthy, with lemon, ashes, apples, and a little bit of cedarwood. Hints of gentian and verbena within the aftertaste. Feedback: a stunning marriage and nearly a full panorama of Scotland. It does borrow some traits from Johnnie Inexperienced in my e-book.
SGP:554 – 87 factors. |
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The Cairn 25 yo ‘CRN57°’ (43%, OB, blended malt, LMDW, 2024) 
This blended malt is obtainable by G&M to tide us over till the primary whiskies from their new distillery, Cairn, inaugurated in 2022, can be found in 2030. As they are saying, ‘style tomorrow right now’, which I discover moderately amusing. We’d think about there’s some Benromach within the combine, however that’s purely hypothesis. Angus completely beloved the 30-year-old (WF 91). Color: gold. Nostril: stunning, very Highlands, with notes of gorse, heather, roasted chestnuts, nougat, toasted almonds, and a touch of garam masala and dried figs. There’s additionally a breath of the forest—moss, ferns, outdated stumps… Ma-gni-fi-cent. Mouth: they’ve actually gone all out to supply a pre-Cairn of high quality. Great outdated Cointreau, salty touches, thyme honey, amaretti, and walnuts… It nearly seems like a mix of simply two extremely complementary single malts, and also you’d swear there’s some Benromach in there. However that’s simply my guess… End: a stunning, honeyed but agency end. Nuts, tobacco, chestnuts, and honey. Feedback: what’s much more placing is that these 43% ABV appear to be the proper power right here. I’m not satisfied 46 or 50 would have been higher.
SGP:552 – 90 factors. |
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Enigma 27 yo 1997/2024 (51.8%, Cadenhead, blended malt, bourbon hogsheads, 1,140 bottles) 
This sequence presents a little bit of every little thing—blends, blended malts like this one, and even single malts. Color: white wine. Nostril: begins off vigorous, lemony, contemporary, then softens a bit with macarons and a stunning cassata, alongside pipe tobacco, pinecones, and some drops of miso. One other very charming nostril. With water: the barley and malt return, together with a touch of plasticine and putty. Church candles. Mouth (neat): oh, this is excellent! Pink grapefruit, tobacco, soy sauce, horseradish, salty touches… It has a curious Japanese aspect to it, actually. With water: oh sure! Salt, lemon, polish, grapefruit, barely inexperienced gooseberries, wormwood… Simply excellent. End: the identical, and it lasts for a superb whereas, then seem ripe however not too ripe quinces and mirabelles. Feedback: extremely coherent, you’d assume it was a single malt, and never one of many lesser ones at that.
SGP:551 – 89 factors. |
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Massive Peat’s Best 8 yo 2016/2024 (46%, Douglas Laing, Provenance, LMDW Foundations, Jamaican Rum End)
All proper, oops, this can be a Massive Peat that’s truly an Islay single malt, not a blended malt, completed for 2 years in Jamaican rum casks. Who hasn’t dreamt of pairing Islay with Jamaica like this? And there’s no Captain Haddock on the label both. Color: very pale white wine. Nostril: in fact it really works. It smells a little bit like an East Coast malt, however with the Jamaican rum affect, it feels extra like one thing from the South Coast. You already know what I imply? Tarmac, olives, oysters, ashes, seashore bonfire, lemon, Tiger Balm, and so forth. Mouth: merely glorious. Lemon, metallic, seawater, olives, oysters, seaweed, gray pepper, saltiness… End: lengthy, very contemporary, invigorating, closely peaty, lemony, and with these olives lingering within the aftertaste. Feedback: in brief, the Jamaican contact appears to have added olives to the Ileach. How amusing, and glorious, however now we’re ready for a correct trans-blend, like Islay + Jamaica + Mezcal. They might name it ‘Massive Warmth’.
SGP:567 – 87 factors. |
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Crimson Snake ‘Redneck 127’ (59.6%, Blackadder Uncooked Cask, bourbon, 261 bottles, 2022)
Oops, this one’s a single malt as nicely, peated to 20ppm. Every part about it appears unbelievable, however that’s precisely why we find it irresistible. Again to the roots… Oh, and 20ppm—that’s Talisker territory, isn’t it? Color: white wine. Nostril: apples, pears, violets, seaweed, and peat—plus fairly a little bit of ethanol. So… With water: engine oil, seawater, outdated boat ropes, brine, crabs, and polish… Mouth (neat): pink grapefruit, grenadine, pears, Szechuan pepper, peat, and certainly, a good bit of ethanol. With water: strawberries and pepper? The place did that come from? And flambéed bananas… End: lengthy, shifting in the direction of citrus however with a medicinal edge as nicely. Bell pepper and pepper within the aftertaste. Feedback: the cask appears to have been very energetic. What a beast this snake is.
SGP:566 – 86 factors. |
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One final one for the highway. Let’s ensure it is a blended malt…
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Peated Blended Malt 6 yo 2017/2023 (59.7%, Fadandel, 2nd fill oloroso sherry octave end, cask #200000061, 69 bottles)
You’ve seen the cask quantity, haven’t you? Now that’s what I’d name ambition, wouldn’t you? Color: pale gold. Nostril: missed the mark once more, I’m afraid. If this can be a blended malt, I’m a prima ballerina on the Opera de Paris. That is pure peat, diesel fumes, tarry ropes, inexperienced apples and lemons, with a contact of historic granite (assume the close by Kildalton Cross), fire ashes, and a splash of Mercurochrome. Maybe a touch of chocolate, possible from the octave. With water: inexperienced apples, varnish, iodine tincture, and a whiff of hairspray. Mouth (neat): right here comes that smoked pear and apple combo, with a little bit of fir wooden, adopted by lemon and extra iodine tincture. Gray pepper and the sensation of biting into graphite, with a pointy, pleasing bitterness. With water: that is the place it shines. Previous, very salty fino sherry, lemons, inexperienced walnuts, seawater, and sea urchins – the saltiest and most concentrated of all seafood. End: very lengthy, very salty. Feedback: prime stuff, extra mature than its age suggests. I’m not normally a fan of octaves, however in a 2nd fill, it may work wonders. Living proof…
SGP:567 – 88 factors. |
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Effectively, since we’re delving into the depths of younger malts…
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Seventeen Smoky Stills 6 yo 2017/2024 (50%, Claxton’s Exploration Sequence, blended malt, oloroso hogshead)
The label presents up some coordinates, let’s have a peek on Google Maps… Ah, however no, these cheeky devils at Claxton’s have put their very own HQ there as a substitute! Intelligent lot. Effectively, I shan’t hassle making an attempt to work out which distilleries have cobbled collectively 17 stills—let’s transfer on, lets? Color: gold. Nostril: cedarwood, ashes, seawater, pickle brine, tar, and brand-new tyres… With water: a lot the identical, although the tyres actually take over. Feels such as you’ve wandered right into a automotive showroom. Mouth (neat): beautiful smoky lemons and brine. Properly sharp, although fairly aperitif-like—it’s a kind of that fire up your urge for food! With water: glorious, with a contemporary burst of citrus, extra ash, liquorice, tar, and a contact of seawater. End: very lengthy, with a little bit extra pepper. These new tyres and ashy notes linger proper on the end. Feedback: merely very, excellent and filled with peat.
SGP:568 – 86 factors. |
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Alright, that is sufficient. This complete ‘real-fake blended malts’ enterprise is making a proper mess. Hasta luego.
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