Blends

Cutty Sark Storm

May 25, 2013
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The fruity part of this blend is quite nice, but the sweetness and the roughness of young grain are still dominating. – Rating: 69/100

Big T Blend by Tomatin

March 28, 2013
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This old NAS blend puts just about everything in this category we have today to shame. Apparently there were mainly bourbon casks used. It is quite sweet but also fresh and fruity. – Rating: 83/100

Boxes Blend

February 19, 2013
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A very nice whisky with a somehow quiet character, nothing to ponder about, just to sip and relax. This is suprisingly good blending work by an amateur. – Rating: 82/100

Clan MacGregor Blended Scotch Whisky

February 3, 2013
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One of the weaker cheap blends, just about acceptable if nothing else is around. – Rating: 62/100

Kuchh Nai Blended Scotch Whisky

February 3, 2013
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A drinkable entry level blend with an Indian story (the name means “nothing”); not more, not less. – Rating: 70/100

Grant’s Stand Fast

August 29, 2012
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The intriguing nose needs some time, and even at 40% ABV the palate benefits from a few drops of water. A nice crisp dram, though most components are quite young. The finish is over rather soon, unfortunately. – Rating: 78/100

Isle of Skye 8 yo

August 28, 2012
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Not really an unpleasant blend, but the flavours are just a bit too generic to lift it significantly above the major brands that sell for less. – Rating: 72/100

Ballantine’s 17 yo

August 25, 2012
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The strong points of this high-quality blend are the wonderful nose and the very long finish. But also the palate manages to convince a dedicated malthead that blends can be delicious too. – Rating: 85/100

Comparing Two Old with The Current Johnnie Walker Red Label

July 3, 2012
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I was fortunate to receive two samples of older bottlings of Johnnie Walker Red. So I can finally do a comparison in a head-to-head-to-head tasting.

Cutty Sark 18 yo

April 13, 2012
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The 18 year old versoin is a little more pronounced than the 12 yo, but the flavours have trouble to emerge from a bedding of general sweetness. – Rating: 77/100

Cutty Sark 12 yo

April 13, 2012
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A whisky like a nice piece of music in a radio turned down to minimum volume so you have trouble hearing it properly. – Rating: 74/100

Black Bull 40 yo Batch #2

April 12, 2012
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Like in the first batch, the nose makes promises that palate can’t quite deliver. The mouthfeel is a bit thin as well for such an old whisky. – Rating: 84/100

Saint Isidore

January 31, 2012
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“The Bloggers’ Blend” – Undisclosed winner of a blending competition – A really nice and sippable dram – Rating: 82/100

Compass Box Great King Street

September 22, 2011
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This whisky has a fantastic nose, and also the palate delivers a very wide spectrum of well-composed flavours. A very high quality blend indeed. – Rating: 86/100

The Tweeddale Blend Batch #1

July 28, 2011
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Quite nice for a blend of this age, with a rather complex flavour profile. It feels a bit “edgy” though – Rating: 81/100

Johnnie Walker Red Label

June 17, 2011
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This top selling blend is obviously designed not to offend any palate. There are some interesting flavours, but they are hidden underneath a layer of sweetness. Rating: 67/100

Grant’s 12 yo

June 7, 2011
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Compared to the Grant’s 18 yo, the younger version is suprisingly smooth. It is rather gentle on the palate but not unpleasantly so. The blend is not available in all markets, though.
– Score: 81/100

Grant’s 18 yo

May 29, 2011
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The port finish adds a fruity touch to this blend that nicely complenents the driness contributed by the wood. But despite the old age there is still a slight harshness to be noticed. – Score: 80/100

Whyte & Mackay Special

April 26, 2011
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The Special is a decent enough entry level blend. It’s alright for sipping alongside a pint, but its taste profile is fairly simple – Rating: 66/100

Racke Rauchzart

March 31, 2011
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This blend is aptly named “Tender Smoke”. I really like the balance of flavours. If they were stronger, this €10 dram would beat most well-known entry level blends. But it feels much too toned down. – Rating: 62/100

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