McCallum's Perfection Blended Scotch Whisky

Nose: Nice stuff. Sweet malt, vanilla and light stewed fruits. The nose could easily be mistaken for something little more expensive. Taste: Forward driven sweetness and light tannin spice. There is abundant burnt caramel and sugars mixed with a light herbal funk….hinting at the presence of smoke but I haven’t detected any. For a cheap blend this is big on flavour and decent enough to drink straight. Having said that its not outstanding in any way as the taste profile is a bit up and down and it lacks subtlety. Still at least this is not like many cheap blends where the malt is diluted to a whisper. Finally the grain whisky base is good. I think if you approach this as bottle shelf blend there is much to like and admire in this bottle. Finally the idea that this built around Cragganmore certainly doesn’t seem like fake news after tasting it and thanks to Cascode for the sample.

Nose: Mild sherry, rich full malty notes, a little dark fruit - it's a surprisingly subtle and mature nose for a NAS blend and there is no overt ethanol. Over time there is even the faintest possible hint of smoke detected, but it's the sooty sort of smoke and nothing like Islay peatiness. Palate: Sweet and mildly fruity, with demerara sugar and sherry. The development shows some delicious, almost chewy maltiness with a lot of caramel and brown sugar and the spirit expands to fill the mouth in a pleasant manner. The texture is OK, maybe a little watery, but there are no unpleasant notes. Finish: Medium/short. The central sherried malt character fades into a dark sugar aftertaste. This whisky surprised me. I was not expecting anything of note, in fact I was prepared for the worst as I had assumed it was just a domestic bottom-shelf blend. However it exceeded those expectations and turns out to be very palatable and enjoyable, if a little too much on the sweet side. It's clean and full-bodied and whilst not remarkable is what I'd call a "perfectly decent blend". It has an old-school balance and is akin to Haig Gold Label or a lesser Old Parr in profile (very much your grandpa's blended whisky). It's very palatable taken neat, fares reasonably well as a mixer but to truly enjoy this it needs to be tasted as a generous pour over ice with a splash of soda water or ginger ale. It then instantly transports you to a moderately good restaurant or club in the 1980s. It doesn't go so well with cola as the caramel notes become cloyingly sweet. The alleged foundation malt is Cragganmore, and the flavour profile certainly bears that out, but the most noteworthy features are that the blenders were not stingy with the malt, and the grain component is of good quality. This blend was apparently once big news in the UK but while it has disappeared from that market it retains a faithful following in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and some of the Caribbean Islands. At the asking price it represents fair value and I'd rank it as one of the better lower-priced blended scotches. Oh, and the label is gorgeously old-fashioned and naff :-) "Average" : 75/100 (2.5 stars)