Nose: Very shy and mild. Hints of malt and a quick flash of ashy smoke but it lacks presence. Over time in the glass as it warms up the nose improves, but only a little. Palate: Sweet malt on the arrival with smoky ash on the side. The ash note enlarges in the development, but that’s the only change. The texture is neutral but silky and the palate has more presence than the nose. Finish: Very Short. Sweet ashy malt. So, the only interesting thing about this whisky is the story behind its botched marketing campaign. Diageo released the “Explorer’s Club Collection” in 2012 but did not account for the fact that there is a real Explorer’s Club based in New York. The club took legal action for trademark infringement, and won, making the existing bottles of this whisky a collector’s item. As for the whisky, it’s OK but nothing special. It resembles regular Red Label but has a more pleasing, soothing character and is a little more smoky. The grain whisky component is strikingly obvious but thankfully it is sweet and has a nice silky texture. I’d bet good money it is sourced from North British as it has that slick quality of Scottish grain whisky distilled from corn mash. It’s pleasant, insanely easy to quaff, but ultimately forgettable and poor value for money. I should maybe have left this bottle sealed and auctioned it, but meh. “Average (just barely)” : 75/100 (2.5 stars)