Glen Marnoch Bourbon Cask Finish (Aldi)

Extremely drinkable drop from Aldi. Lots of flavour, and smooth as butter. Much better than some competing Speyside single malts. Not a lot of complexity but perfectly fine.

The best of a bad bunch

Nose: Buttery and cereal aromas, vanilla, fruitiness (apple?) and a little oak. [The dry glass has very little aroma]. Palate: A light and moderately sweet entry, developing into a little gingery spiciness and vanilla. Some malty notes but not much more. The texture is light but OK. Finish: Short. Sweet and moderately spicy aftertaste. Try as hard as you might you'll never find the Glen Marnoch distillery. It's purely a brand name adopted by Aldi for their middle-shelf single malt range. I picked this one up as part of a three-miniature Glen Marnoch sample pack, and I'll be reviewing the other two expressions shortly. This whisky almost certainly comprises minimum-age blending quality whiskies produced by an undisclosed highland distillery (or distilleries). It has a certain "highland" character but is lacking in complexity. To give it its due there are no significant faults to mention, other than that it is very lightweight in all respects. The nose is simple, but for all that it's honest and clean. The palate is likewise simple and dependent on an interplay between sweet and spicy cereal characteristics. There's not a lot more going on here, but it's not unpalatable either and at the price is reasonable value. "Average" : 75/100 (2.5 stars)