Bell's Original

Smooth and easy to drink whit a vanilla dominant flavour

Nose Sweet vanilla and light hits of oak and salt Taste Bitter oak with the whiskey being quick on the tongue.

good for price

Rating: 11/23 I've really heard nothing about this, but I fully expect it to be mediocre at best. N: Light sulfur, smoke, meat, and maybe a dash of peat. Then some grain emerges. I start getting some light apple and then mineral with a bit of cardboard or perhaps chalky character to it, expressing the dram's youth, but there's also a balanced butterscotch and light baking spice scent to it. A hint of light, sweet perfumed lemon like from a wet wipe emerges as well. Originally, I thought there was nothing too exciting going on here, but the more I smell it, the more balanced and agreeable it seems. Way better than The Famous Grouse already! P: This actually has a pretty decent highland crossed with island profile. It's a bit harsh, but it has a good smokiness mixed with mineral, sweetness with a bit of apple, light orange zest, and salt bordering on sea spray. The flavors are actually pretty solid and balanced. I get some vanilla as well eventually, along with some (not mildewed) cardboard. There might be a dash of peat, but it's hard to be sure that it isn't just smoke and some sort of young herbal presence (a hair like Copper Fox Rye). It reminds me a bit of a disappointing Highland Park. The body is medium-thin and does retain a lightness. The flavors are perhaps too subtle and a bit of the sulfur does make its way in, but this is a surprisingly balanced and drinkable dram despite its youth. The biggest problem is that while there might be a little bit of white pepper flavor, most of the heat is attributable to alcohol harshness. This is actually fairly harsh for its proof. If it weren't for that harshness, I'd actually enjoy the palate fairly well (at like a 13 to 14 level). The biggest other flaws are the slightly excessive sweetness and general lightness, but surprisingly little alcohol flavor comes through. F: That smoke sure lingers, along with some cardboard graininess and some minerals. A bit of tartness from either the peat or apple lingers, but it isn't clear which. It's still kind of sweet. I'm actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of this. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it doesn't have that cheap scotch sewage flavor and does a decent job of balancing adequate complexity with some nice flavors and general balance. Being blended, some of the flavors are a bit muddled, but I wouldn't object to drinking this. I think I'd give it a slight edge over Sir Edward's 12 because it doesn't have the same odd flavors. I think it's also better than Highland Queen Majesty Sauternes, moving it out of the barely-drinkable budget scotch category I think that puts this somewhere around an 11 or maybe even a 12. I do wish it were less harsh so I could go up to a 13 or 14. I'm surprisingly happy with this dram, but I think I'll stick to an 11. Seems like a good choice for a budget scotch.