This is an over-hyped and marginally over-priced blend that can be seen two ways. It’s either a decent 12 year old commercial grade blend OR a wholly inefficient way to spend $40 on a bottle of scotch. The bottom line is that it’s quite drinkable but by no means as wonderful as some would have you believe.
From the Chivas & Glenlivet group of Aberdeen, this 12 year old blended whiskey came recommended from some friends... I mention the origin because it’s hard to believe that an establishment that turns out Glenlivet can miss the plot like this.
The whisky is a golden straw colour, lighter than most blends and certainly lighter than its close rival JW Black Label. This can be a bit of a deception to those used to watering down their whisky and using colour as the marker.
The nose is on the sweet side with mostly woody notes , a little grainy and a little smokey all combined with a heavy handed dose of alcohol. It rolls onto your palette ambiguously, get sweet and then goes down without any lasting memory. Perhaps there are too many whiskies in the blend to wholly appreciate the subtleties, but you don’t want to have to think that hard about what you are drinking. The upside is that it has a pleasant finish; that’s where 12 years of ageing come into play.
This is essentially the Toyota Camry of Scotch. Take that at face value to be either a good thing or a bad thing. Most people who drink this level of blended scotch seem to do so with pride, like they are consuming a premium product. Sad to say, this is far from premium. Second, there are too many yahoo’s drowning their scotch in Coke or Pepsi or (insert your fav brand of cola here) which again kills any redeeming taste features this drink may have.
Conclusion :- Try it if you are curious, it’s not bad, but be aware that there are better choices out there. Spend a few extra dollars and do yourself a favour with Single Malt (Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Glen Parker). So, in the end 2 stars is what I say