Haig Dimple 12 Year

Nose: Malt and cereal, vanilla, caramel, dried fruit and a little oak. Palate: Mildly malty and fruity, a relatively full flavour and texture for a blend, at least in the arrival. In the development it turns bitter and sour at the back of the tongue - not firey or spicy, just sour - then the texture turns thin. Finish: Short. Some bitter tannin. There have been literally scores (possibly 100s) of versions of Dimple since it was introduced by John Haig & Co. in 1893, some of which have been very exclusive and contained a large proportion of high quality malt and grain. The basic Dimple blend (it's almost always just called "Dimple" in Australia and other Commonwealth countries, seldom "Haig Dimple" and never "Pinch") is usually either 12 years old, or a NAS that is around 12. This popular blend has benefited from the reputation of the exclusive releases, and in most countries it was marketed, and seen by many consumers, as being more upmarket than Johnnie Walker, Bell's, Grant's, Ballantine's and other similarly priced scotch blends. It shared this aura of "class" with Chivas Regal 12. Although there's not much to actively hate about this affordable blend it's nothing special. The nose is better than the palate, and then the palate tails off into mild bitterness. It's acceptable over ice, where the deficiencies of the palate are obscured, and better as a mixer with ginger ale where sugar balances the sour notes. "Adequate" : 73/100 (2.25 stars)