Scotland, September 2017. Whisky #3. Nose: Floral sherry, fruit and smoke. A thick porridge-like cereal aroma. Hefty for a blend but a little ham-fisted. Palate: Smooth and sweet arrival, almost cloyingly floral and smoky. A definite cider-malt flavour like fermenting wort. Tobacco, nutmeg, toasted bread. Finish: Short/medium. Smooth but trailing into a touch of bitterness. An enjoyably rich blend that is best neat, over ice or with water. The only big fault is a tendency to become a little overbearing after the first dram. It is a self-consciously “masculine” blend that tries a little too hard. As a mixer it is almost too assertive. This is an old blend that has gone through many changes over the years. At one time it boasted all available Islay malts in the recipe, but today Bunnahabhain is the only remaining Islay component (it is quite smoky so either it’s peated Bunnahabhain, or the peat is coming from some other malt). John McDougall, who worked for many years with the company that owned the Black Label brand, says in his book “Wort, worms and washbacks” that it was always something of a mongrel blend, created from what was available at the time. Some years it was not produced at all if there was insufficient necessary malt available, and the character often varied. Apart from that it has changed hands many times and the overall profile has been completely altered several times, varying from light and fruity to deep and smoky. NOTE: Do not confuse this with the Australasian bottling of Black Bottle, which is totally different. See separate review for that blend. “Average” : 76/100 (2.5 stars)