Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition

Slight sherry, burnt marshmallow, creme brulee and spices on the nose, oily, grainy, malt and vanilla on the palate, smokey, spicy, slightly bitter long finish. I feel the warmth all the way down my throat into my belly.

I received this bottle as a birthday present back in early March from my friend Paul. I believe he had tried this before and thought I’d enjoy it, and knowing I don’t usually buy cheaper blends, he decided to make this part of my gift this year. Many thanks, @Generously_Paul. The Prohibition Edition is a throwback blend that differs mostly from the normal Cutty Sark simply by upping the ABV to 50%, from the typical 40%. It’s sunset gold in the tasting glass with tiny beads and sparse legs. It’s also quite slick and oily. I believe this bottle runs about $35 locally. The nose is predominantly butterscotch, heavy malt and candied corn. There’s some caramel and light citrus rounding things out. I mostly came away smelling butterscotch candies, however, even given some time in the Glencairn. The palate had a raw peanut aspect, along with toffee and butterscotch chews. There was some pepper spice creeping in by mid sip and the oily mouth coat left those pepper and alcohol notes stuck to my tongue. The finish was long and sweet, with vanilla and buttered bread hanging around, along with a lingering warmth and hint of pepper. Overall, this is the poster child for one dimensional malts. The butterscotch candy notes never wavered. The price point is excellent and the boosted ABV will hold up nicely in cocktails or over a few ice cubes. I’m just not as in love with this malt as a lot of reviewers seem to be. Yes, it’s easily approachable, cheap and crushable- it just doesn’t do much for me. I’d give it a solid 3 stars just on price and punch, but I don’t think this is a bottle I need to replace or keep around. Cheers.

Nose: orchard fruits, cream, a little ash, some acetone Taste: lemon candy, mint, a whiff of smoke, Finish: dry, fairly hot After reading reviews: didn’t get the baking spices. Finished it before reading that so will have to revisit- looking forward to it.

Nose: Malt extract, caramel, toffee, butterscotch and crème brûlée with an almost carbonised crust. Toasted cereal grains, an aroma reminiscent of cask-conditioned ale, squill candy, leather, machine oil and moist earth. Faint oak and smoke notes. It's hard to believe this is a blended scotch nose as it’s much more robust and demonstrative than most blends. Palate: A rich, slightly sweet and oaky arrival with smoky tones in the background. As it develops, a wave of peppery sweetness emerges with hints of brown sugar, orange oil and brine. There is also dark bittersweet chocolate, treacle toffee, liquorice, ale and espresso. Adding water develops sweeter notes and the texture is full and rich. Finish: Long. As all the spice dies down the pleasant rich brown sugar sweetness slowly fades away leaving just the forceful sherried oak that lies at the heart of this blend. What a great blended scotch. It really is hard to believe it's not a malt blend. It has a satisfying character and is reminiscent of a sherried Speyside malt. I'd wager there is a lot of Glenrothes in this. A dash of water does it no harm whatsoever, this is a blend that swims well and water just softens it. Recommended neat or with water (or even with ice and a splash of soda). I'd been putting this one off for a while but after tasting it this afternoon I took a stroll to my local liquor shop and picked up another bottle to save for the future. That should be all you need to know. Highly recommended, it's not cheap but it's worth every penny - great for sipping and a wonderful mixer. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

I saw this bottle originally in a Youtube video and was quite fascinated. Luckily, when I tracked it down in a local wine shop, they were selling it at a same price level as the original Cutty Sark. The aroma of the dram was the pinch hitter for me in my opinion. I got a burnt or crispy toast notes with a healthy dollop of honey and in between those notes, I've picked up a nutty and chocolate notes as well. The peat levels rise when tasting the dram. Got a whole lot of heathery peat kind of like Highland Park 12. The honey on the nose kind of evolves into this butterscotch character. Finish is medium at best with the toasty honey bread vibe that last a good 6 to 7 seconds before fading. I got to say one of my favorite blended scotch whisky of all time. I just really hope they can restock more soon.