I was with family over the weekend for a function and wound back at my sisters house. Perusing the closet, as I have done many times there, I pulled this Scoresby Rare bottle which was mostly finished. This was a bottle from my Grandfathers collection. I have never seen this ever (is that the Rare part?) So, taking what is left, I figured I would review, for posterity, and jump back to a time when the scotch that was imbibed from that generation was that of the blended kind.
This is bottled at 43% and is a light golden color.
This opens with a delicate sweetness. Vanilla, caramel and. butterscotch. A bit more time and a fruity side appears. That of Granny Smith apples, Dole canned pears and a slice or two of apricots.
The body is medium light in weight. There is a touch of sugary sweetness in the beginning and quickly fades. It turns quite bitter of lemon zest, and slightly spicy with black pepper.
What remains is the lemon zest bitterness and bar soap. A touch of woodiness leaves the mouth feeling slightly dry.
What was promising on the nose quickly fell apart in the palate and finish. This is a whisky intended for mixing with a soda or ice. Not one for a neat sip. The off-putting soap is a deterrent for neat sipping. All that said, it’s nice to take a small time warp back to those days for cheap, blended whisky. [Tasted: 11/20/18][79/100]
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@PBMichiganWolverine I see it as a collection of all the best characteristics blended together. Kinda like building that ideal car or computer (I would have said actress/model but that would not have been PC)
@PBMichiganWolverine Don't think of it as subtracting from the whisky but as adding to the rest of the drink. A cup of stong coffee with a half-teaspoon of white sugar and a shot of Lagavulin 16 is my favourite way to start the day.
@worldwhiskies95 She’s got a point. That’s a really wise saying...
@Scott_E and it has to be a certain type of glass...this huge tumbler. Pepsi and a huge ass tumbler. The Macallan 18 is just an overlooked bonus
@PBMichiganWolverine Are you serious? Fun story about me. 2 years ago at a wedding, I tried asking for blue label and ginger ale. My brother was like, “do you realize how expensive blue label is.” When my brother told other people in my family, my mom was like “you cannot drink something without studying and knowing about it.” Now I have came a long way. Blue Label is mostly for rich people to give to people who don’t know anything about whisky.
@PBMichiganWolverine Pepsi Lol! Not Coke, only Pepsi (or vice versa). Never mind the scotch. Don’t mess with my cola.
@Scott_E you’re right , my father-in-law as well ( the one that I got the 60s Haig). He still takes a Macallan 18 with a Pepsi
@PBMichiganWolverine I think the previous generations of whisky drinkers only drank a whisky if it’s was mixed. My grandfather and parents generation, that’s what I recall: scotch & soda (and the like).
@Scott_E maybe it’s me getting older, but I don’t see the point in mixing scotch. Doesn’t that take away from the flavor?
@BDanner I would assume so. The bottle I had is the image used for this review, thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine. It is definitely not high quality stuff. On par with JWR, a mixing scotch.
My brothers wedding had Scoresby and Northern Lights Canadian for their whisky choices. So glad a brought a flask of GlenDronach
We have a bottom shelf Scoresby here in NC. Is this different from that?
@PBMichiganWolverine Agreed, a true rarity.
@Scott_E yeah that one. I didn’t like it personally, I remember it being overly sweet. But in the same breadth, I’m not gonna complain about having something bottled over 50 years ago...that’s a rarity
@PBMichiganWolverine The Haig Gold Label? That was a good dram, much better than this.
@Scott_E did you ever try that 1960s Haig I sent to the SDT team? This sounds similar. I wasn’t a fan of it, but it was interesting to see what folks liked back in the 60s. Overly sweet, meant for mixing.
@PBMichiganWolverine it’s like opening a time capsule. A moment in time, in a bottle.
I know a place like your sister’s, where bottles are stashed away in dusty back places, forgotten but only to be found years later.