Kirkland 12 Year Blended Scotch

A 12 year blend for $38 per 1.75L bottle seems like an amazing deal. So I was eager to see what kind of quality you get for that value. There is char and smoke on the nose. The palate has also has some char but it is overwhelmed by sweet cream and nougat. There are also some dried fruit and smoke flavors there to enjoy before a short finish. This isn’t a complex whiskey to sit and contemplate, but it is enjoyable and does have good flavor. If I didn’t know better I would think it was blended almost to taste like Johnnie Walker Black. If so, it did a pretty decent job.

Nose: watermelon candy, burnt sugar, spices, strong alcohol. Palate: Sweet, spices, smoke, burnt sugar, long bitter finish. Water: watermelon candy and burnt sugar finish.

Sweet with very low kick

So about a month and a half ago I was perusing the whisky aisle for something new and, more importantly, cheap to drink in mass quantities on a weekend trip. Enter the 1.75L magnum bottle of Kirkland 12 year old blended scotch from Alexander Murray for the whopping price of $53. I figured it would be more than plenty and the price was right so I bought it. Over the course of the next month I whittled it down to the point where I needed to start taking notes or it would be gone, so here’s what I found. Bottled at 40% ABV and is chill filtered and has Johnnie Walker levels of colorant added making it a dark amber. Lots of oak, honey and grain alcohol up front on the nose. Plenty of vanilla, smoky apples and pears. Light sherried raisins, burnt sugar and slightly waxy. Nutmeg and some light cinnamon and chili powder. Overall sweet and fruity, but too light to be engaging. A touch of salt/brine, orange rinds and more oak and burnt sugar. The palate has strong oaky notes, caramel and burnt sugar. Vanilla, orange and grain alcohol. Slightly smoky and peaty but more like an afterthought than a plot point. Honey with a salty undertone and a hint of pineapple and apricot. Predominantly grain alcohol and a fair amount of toasted coconut, but the standout profile is that of burnt sugar. A light to medium bodied mouthfeel that is thin and forgetful. The finish is short with vanilla, caramel, grain alcohol and, you guessed it, burnt sugar. If you couldn’t tell, the overall theme here is burnt sugar and grain alcohol. It really boiled down to those two notes by the end of every glass and it became quite boring. Not that bad for the price and quantity you get, but I’d rather spend $10-15 less and pick up the same amount of Famous Grouse, which I think is a better blend. Not recommended neat, but it’s not that bad on the rocks with a splash of water. 2.5 and a buy at your own risk only if you love the taste of burnt sugar warning. Cheers PS, this will NOT be appearing in any Dapper Drams episode. Not wasting my time or yours bringing this one to the pocket sized screen.

Kind of basic. Not bad but basic.