Tastes

Ballantine's Finest is a young, low-priced blended Scotch that has a reasonable quality and is certainly drinkable on its own. One of the lead malts in this blend is Auchentoshan, giving Ballantine's a light, sweet and floral character. The nose is quite grainy with nuts, honey and maple syrup. Although it tastes fairly rough and immature, there is a pleasant burned sugar sweetness with a good amount of sherry cask influence. The finish is quick, vague and definitely lacking intrinsic quality. Not a spectacular but honest blend which works well as a mixer. RATING: 2.2/5.0 stars ≙ 65 pts → INFERIOR [+]

Famous for its 'chili catch', Talisker 10 from the Isle of Skye is said to be 'made by the sea' - a suitable analogy. Its mineral, phenolic nose reminds of fresh, salty seawater with iodine and seaweed. A light sweetness of citrus fruits combines with restrained peatiness. The arrival is strong with a rich note of malted barley and dried fruits, leaving a peppery chili burn on the palate. A real 'afterburner' that finishes pleasantly warming, briny and spicy. The only downside is the excessive addition of artificial colorant (E150a), combined with heavy chill-filtration. RATING: 4.0/5.0 stars ≙ 87 pts → FIRST-CLASS

Lowland whiskies tend to be overlooked by many whisky drinkers. That's a shame! Being a rather light, soft and floral single malt, Glenkinchie 12 has a surprising complexity. The nose is mildly grainy and fruity with honey, nuts and caramel. It's a busy nose that needs a bit of time to open up. On the palate, the dram arrives full-bodied with ripe fruits, pepper and a malty spiciness. It turns slightly dry and there is an occasional spiritiness coming through. The finish is fresh and aromatic but rather short. An easily accessible malt with a remarkable character! RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 83 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

If you are afraid of these 'peat monsters' from Islay, this robust single malt could be something for you: Isle of Jura Superstition is advertised as 'lightly peated' whisky. Unfortunately, it bears no age statement, although the 43% ABV definitely help to bring out the flavor of this rather young malt. On the nose, you can find delicate peat smoke, toffee and hints of marzipan. The taste is mildly spicy and peppery, and yet sweet with honey and cinnamon. Overall, it's quite a two-dimensional and artificial Island whisky - but with a decent roundness and complexity. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 83 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

This is a decent and appealing blended Scotch that offers a bit more than its competitors in the low-price range. The nose is soft and light, featuring toffee, citrus notes and hints of cinnamon. It's very much a Speyside style of a blend. Grant's Family Reserve tastes strong, sweet and spicy, and there is an apple note coming through. However, it's very young whisky, and the occasional metallic note can't be hidden. As a mixer, Grant's goes well into Coca Cola. Yet, this whisky can certainly be drunk neat, if your expectations are in accordance with its price. RATING: 2.5/5.0 stars ≙ 72 pts → SUBPAR

Being a solid benchmark single malt, this whisky is easily accessible to the beginner. Green apples and other fruits dominate on the nose, while Glenfiddich 12 tastes sweet, malty and quite harmonic. Its rather light character combines with hints of oak and slight bitterness in the finish. Unfortunately, there are some rough edges in the background of this spirit, presumably due to high demand for casks. After all, this whisky is one of the best-selling malts in the world. A warmly recommended Speysider that offers a practical introduction to malt whisky! RATING: 3.2/5.0 stars ≙ 81 pts → AVERAGE [+]

J&B Rare is a low-cost blended Scotch of rather insufficient quality. The nose is sweet and fruity with a pervasive and unpleasantly dominating toffee note. Although said to be slightly peaty, I couldn't detect that. Drunk neat, the youthful harshness of the spirit turns into indistinct and sweet spiciness. There is a metallic aftertaste, and the grain whisky is doing an awful lot of work in this blend. Mixed with Coca Cola, the dominant toffee does not harmonize with the sweetness of the drink. To sum up, I did not enjoy J&B Rare - neither neat, nor as a mixer. RATING: 1.9/5.0 stars ≙ 55 pts → INFERIOR [-]

Tasted neat, this Tennessee whiskey is rather harsh and rough. It predominantly smells of airfix glue and solvents, but there is a fruity note lurking in the background. Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 is very young whiskey indeed. However, mixed with Coca Cola it harmonizes surprisingly well, as the late Lemmy Kilmister would have confirmed. Hence, from the perspective of a Scotch single malt drinker, I can recommend Jack Daniel's for mixing purposes. If you are used to drink your whiskey neat, you probably want to try 'the older brother' Gentleman Jack. RATING: 2.0/5.0 stars ≙ 60 pts → INFERIOR