Ben Bracken Highland Single Malt

Nose: light grain, maple syrup, liquid shoe polish, grass, pear, orange, soap Palate: grainy, honey, white wine Finish: dry, bitter, Chardonnay wine _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Last 16, Match 4: Ben Bracken Highland versus Isle of Skye 12yo Ben Bracken is the single malt brand of Lidl (one of Europe’s discount supermarket titans if you don’t know). There is also a Speyside and Islay version in this NAS range, and they sometimes release age stated versions. They never identify the source, however. This is young and unbalanced but that is not to say it does not have its merits. It wears a varied and pleasant perfume, but it is let down by a taste that is light & thin and hot & sharp. I will be generous and award a tie for its bouquet, but The Isle of Skye is better in all other classes. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- The intolerable torment of a whiskyphile. Faced with a large array of samples and miniatures I can suffer from analysis paralysis - deciding on a dram can often take twice as long as drinking it. I have selected sixteen scotch whiskies that are 12yrs or younger or NAS to battle it out in a Scotch Deathmatch. It’s my incentive to lighten the logjam. Follow along if you care (and really why should you?). Oh the drama! https://challonge.com/ScotchMadness

This is one of Lidl’s own brand whisky range. The first impression is that it is very light and that it tastes young and sweet. As it develops it maintains the sweet but adds a lemon/lime bitterness and a light oak that stays with you. Overall, it’s a decent dram for the money. It’s pretty cheap, it’s light and easy to drink and it’s better than a lot of whiskies in the same price band. I wouldn’t run out to buy a bottle, but it’s unassuming and not too bad.

Passable budget malt. Sweetness throughout, butterscotch and Mr Whippy ice cream.