Shieldaig The Classic Blended Scotch Whisky

Quite toasty. A little bready. Mild spiciness. Some acetone.

Nose - pear, apple, honey, old wood, spoiled meat, unidentifiable nut, cereal grain, bitter floral and herbal notes, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - pear, honey, vanilla, cereal grain, hay, bitter herbal notes, cream, apple, yeasty moldy bread, subtle sulphur, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast and young with grain, dry herbal, and plastic flavors. Another stinker from Total Wine. Can’t say I’m surprised. This reminds me a lot of the Glen Ness I reviewed a few days ago. There’s really not much to like about it. The nose is really bright and grainy. The palate arrival is probably the best part, as there is a hint of some nice pear and honey notes, but it quickly takes a turn for the worse through the development and finish. As a sidebar, I’ve actually heard a Total Wine employee recommend this one to some poor, naive customer. As I don’t believe the sales person was purposely malicious, I imagine TW puts pressure on the employees to hawk their own brands, likely because the margins are higher. If you want more honest recommendations, you’re better off going to your local small business liquor store or finding some reviewers you trust on sites like Distiller.

Very smooth, no burn

Clear golden body medium legging. Sweet toffee aroma. Sweet toffee woody flavor. 6/3/6/3/13 3.1

Nose is, frankly, unpleasant. Smells like you’ve taped a shot under your nose entering a port-a-john. Very strong, sharp taste up front with a strange, almost Mexican food-esque brief after taste.

Second taste edit: it’s not as drinkable as i once thought. Not gonna bother having this again. Extremely malty and musty, and warming on the nose. Hints of mushy apple, too, which I could go without. The palate is simple. Butterscotch candy. It packs a lot of it too. The finish leaves a malty candy note (not malt balls, there’s no chocolate) for a little bit. I like it. I’d be interested in comparing it to Ballentine’s to be a potential budget blend of choice.

Wow, the nose has some gross, rancid scotch notes. There's something herbal that is unappealing. The palate is watery with a gross flavor that mixes bitter and sweet with fruit and herbs that have a chemical balance. The flavor ain't entirely monotone, but it is bad and has gross elements that do not producer complexity. It's hard to drink this, though there are occasionally some nice fruity flavors. There's a lot of bad flavor going on here without complexity or nice notes. It's clearly worse than Bushmill's Black by at least a couple of notches.

Nose: Some fruit, apples and peaches to be specific. Malt. Very strong ethanol smell. Almost smells like Irish Poitín. Palate: Same fruits as the nose. Some spice. Oak. Hints of sweet jam. Not much to write. Pretty simple. Finish: Medium. Spice ending stronger and blending with some smokiness. Warm. Overall Thoughts: I know it’s a Total Wine house brand so it’s already a bad start. Not a great dram. Definitely meant for kitschy Scotch cocktails. The smell is the most interesting part and it’s not particularly pleasant. Was excited to find a cheap sample but definitely was not setting my expectations high. Meh.