Famous Grouse

Curiosity motivated my purchase while a distant memory tempered my expectations. Its been over 20 years since I had last partaken of The Grouse. On the nose... could that be a distant and muted Highland Park? Surely the other spirits in this blend have overwhelmed that Orkney DNA. Yet there it is on the nose along with sour grain, green apples, and anise. Very pleasant. On arrival... sour, grain forward, slightly bitter, thin, dry but again pleasant. Finish is fleeting with some light spicyness. At under $22 a bottle I can't really disparage this blend. What it lacks in complexity it makes up in value.

Got the job done.

So I’ve been hanging out with my neighbors more and more this summer. They are all beer drinkers and like to drink pretty much nightly. As I’m a whisky man I needed to find a cheap bottle to consume in higher quantities so that I didn’t start blowing through my expensive single malts. I bought a few cheaper bourbons, as well as this bottle of blended scotch that I got for $23. Well I drank half the bottle on the first night with the neighbors, poured a couple samples, and that left me with a few drams to use for taking notes. Famous Grouse claims to be Scotland’s No. 1 favorite blend, using high quality malts from Macallan and Highland Park. Bottled at the minimum 40% ABV and surely chill filtered with colorant added making it a golden straw. The nose has heavy cereal notes up front with lighter grain notes, followed by rich (although subdued) sherry. Strong raisins, floral notes, sherried fruits - grapes and red apples, and the barest thread of smoke, but not peat. The grain components are so well integrated they are barely noticeable. Menthol/mint, a bit nutty with pecans and Brazil nuts, some cocoa powder and honey. Vanilla, hay and buttery biscuits. The palate has a strong raisin presence, juicy and fruity. Vanilla cream, hay and coconut/colada. A slight harshness but nothing that takes away from the enjoyment. White grape juice, peaches, toffee and butterscotch. Quite good. A light bodied mouthfeel that is creamy but thin, mouthwatering. The finish is medium short with raisins, vanilla and a bit of grain alcohol. I’m completely blown away by this unassuming blend. The quality is here. The flavors are here. The VALUE is here. The Macallan influence is clear, HP less so. Great to enjoy whenever and wherever. Good enough to bring out for friends, cheap enough to use as a mixer, but more importantly, good enough to sip and thoroughly enjoy. It’s probably a 3.5, but it’s sleeper status and value easily pushes it to a 3.75, maybe even a 4. Highly recommended. Cheers