cascode
Pure Scot Signature Blended Whisky
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed
June 24, 2020 (edited November 10, 2022)
Nose: Thin and grainy. A reluctant nose that takes forever to wake up but never achieves real presence. There is a curiously artificial aspect to it as well - something sugary, but not quite. It smells like a cup of weak herbal tea that has had a whole bottle of artificial sweetener added. The dry glass is actually nicer than the dram itself, and a tiny whiff of smoke is detectable far, far in the distance.
Palate: Sweet mild heat on the arrival, with little in the way of character. Some grainy, malty notes are present but they are very timid. There is no discernable development but that odd sweetness is back again. The texture is vacant, thin and watery. You get the feeling that it is so weak the only flavour you are tasting is vague caramel from the E150a that has been added.
Finish: Short. Little aftertaste other than some diluted grain sweetness.
From the few reviews on Distiller I'm assuming this has little if any distribution in the U.S. Given that the distillery owner is Australian I guess it's not surprising that it is being imported out here.
This is an underperforming blended scotch with hardly anything happening. The nose is mostly like smelling diluted grain whisky. You do get the occasional suggestion of malt whisky, way back in the distance, but it's extremely faint.
The palate is similarly lean with only a few trace cereal flavours in the background to remind you that this is not vodka. There is barely any finish at all. In an odd way it's almost enjoyable, being so sweet, undemanding and effortless to drink, but there is no satisfaction to be had from this dram.
At the asking price this is woeful value and frankly a big disappointment. The only thing I can think of to say that is complimentary is that there are no faults to note. I don't know what David Prior and Ian MacMillan are trying to achieve with this ultra-bland blend.
"Inferior" : 67/100 (1.5 stars)
70.0
AUD
per
Bottle
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@cascode Yeah, spirits competitions produce essentially random results. With so much tasting going, everyone's palate is going to be toast well before even the midpoint of day 1. Re: the trick of being the only one in the category, that will get you best in class at SFWSC, but they actually give medals to spirits individually, so some panel of judges had to taste this and think "yeah, this tastes like gold medal quality".
@ContemplativeFox It was probably the only entry in it's particular category and won by default. This happens more than you would think. Whisk(e)y competition awards are meaningless.
@cascode Glendronach 12 would actually have costed me _less_ than this. Your notes align pretty much with my experience and they make a compelling argument to not buy it; had I not already had a bottle sitting on my shelf, I certainly would not have bought this. No idea how this got gold at the SFWSC.
Since posting this I've looked at some reviews elsewhere and opinions seem dramatically polarized. Some reviewers claim it is quite full in profile, others damn it with faint praise as "gentle", and others outright damn it. Hard to know what is going on, but I'd strongly recommend a bar taste before investing in a bottle. This is the most disappointing whisky I've tasted since Canadian Club 1858 yet it is twice the price.
It’s unfortunately here...$40/bottle...
I like the bottle. But I'll a avoid it if it ever hits the US.
Added note: I was so disappointed at the poor performance of this blend I poured a dram of GlenDronach 12 to cheer myself up. To say the difference is night-and-day does not begin to cover it. Yes, of course I know it's unfair to compare a pedestrian blend with an overachieving malt, but the point is - In Australia GlenDronach 12 currently costs just $10 more than the insipid and entirely forgettable Pure Scot. Some whiskies should be placed on high like beacons - others should be hurled into the dumpster like a failed dinner experiment. Guess where Pure Scot belongs.