Review: Grand Old Parr 18

Color (5%): Medium intensity. Copper and dark honey hues. 4/5

Nose (10%): That gorgeous honey stays true, though slightly less than the 12 year. A faint nuttiness pops in. It's a darker honey with subtle vanilla and oak. Slight black tea notes as well. Nicely layered and soft. 8/10

Palate (20%): Honey roasted peanuts. Cooked apples. It's like the garnish for a cheese or charcuterie board. Sherry fruit flavors, not much spice of any kind. Some vanilla and milk chocolate. Very trace amount of tobacco and leather. The influence of the oak is there, but it is in no way an excessively oaky whiskey. 17/20

Finish (10%): It's a short finish, leaving you with some cocoa powder. Easy going. A slight note of burnt sugar. 6/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This soft sipping scotch is very nice. It has enough nuance to elevate it above a "mixing" whiskey. I would happily sip this for hours. It's bright and sunny and would pair well with picnic foods and afternoon snacks. There is limited depth, punch, or pizzazz, but this is perfectly respectable. It doesn't taste young, and it's certainly not too oaky. This gives blended whiskeys a good name. When it comes to the occasion to drink this spirit, it reminds me of a bright white wine. 26/30

Retry on Ice (25%): The sweetness actually fades out. That's unusual. The apple tartness goes up a lot. It's still a bit chocolaty. Super clean. The finish becomes next to nothing. 19/25

Total Ranking: 80% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price: $60

Actual Price: $65

Conclusion: You must compare this to the 12-year-old, a staple on my home shelf. This does offer a slightly more robust body and depth. I give this a couple more points on the scoreboard by comparison, but this is nearly double the price. I won't repurchase this, but I will happily finish the bottle. This in no way will be collecting dust, but I can treat myself to more punchy flavors for the same money and get something that serves the same function for cheaper.  Buy a dram at the bar, but you probably don't need to commit to buying a full bottle. 

Fact Sheet:

ABV: 40%

A blend of several distilleries (predominantly Cragganmore), blended and bottled in Leven, Fife

Review: Johnnie Blonde

Color (5%):  Very light, faint gold, no brown whatsoever. Faint greenish young hay hues. 3/5

Nose (10%): Lots of sweetness and fruitiness. Raspberries, crisp red apples, sweet corn/caramel corn. There is a bit of a young alcohol note, a bit sharp. 7/10

Palate (20%): Not as much red fruit on the palate as on the nose. There's more crispness of apple and pear. There's a faint, bready caramel pastry note coming through. Kind of crackery, bready overall, with some notes of red fruit. 16/20

Finish (10%): A soft finish. The wheated nature comes through here, making it fairly easy to session. Apple and pear carry through that malic acid is prevalent, which is rare in Scottish whiskey. Alcohol burn lingers longer than the flavor. Reminds me of a young bourbon, and I don't care for either. 5/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is a little rough. There's a note of cardboard and cheap chewy crackers. There is some nice fruitiness, which might shine with some ice and soda water, but neat, this isn't exemplary. It's an experiment at best, and I don't mind a fruity scotch when talking about a port or sherry finish. But this is young and underdeveloped. I'm curious about mixing it, but this does not hold up in the neat scotch market.  18/30

Retry on Ice (25%): The alcohol burn is still here. The raw, crisp apple shifts into a bit more softened baked apple. A bit more citrus character comes in. improved certainly. This is not a sipping scotch, but it could be mixed up in a way that does it justice. On its own, with assistance and supplement, this is better.   20/25

Total Ranking: 87% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price: $40

Actual Price: $25

Conclusion: The name Johnnie Blonde makes some sense here. It matches the hue of the whiskey and how unaged this "scotch" is. Making a budget scotch is tricky, and this tries to reinvent the notion of what scotch can be with the incorporation of wheat and that extra fruit character. This is not a well scotch. It's fine. It's not great, even for the money. 

Fact Sheet:

ABV: 40%

Review: Bank Note 5 Year Blended Scotch

Color (5%):  For a five-year whisky, this is quite light. Light golden hay. Quite a bit of thinning on the edges. 4/5

Nose (10%): Very bready and crackery. Notes of lemon peel with grass and hay. Light caramel toffee sweetness. 7/10

Palate (20%): Sort of a root beer quality. Very thin body, no oiliness or syrupiness. Lemon, nougat, black tea, some mild nuttiness, hazelnut. Inoffensive. There is no noticeable smoke to speak of, mild oak. Low to mild burn for 43%. Not unpleasant, but not exciting. 17/20

Finish (10%): A pretty soft finish, very crackery and grainy. Lemon and black tea come through. That's an Arnold Palmer. a little bit of bitterness. Pool weather whiskey, eh? 7/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is boring and basic. It's not offensive, but won't make anybody's top 10. Vanilla, lemon peel, caramel, and bread. Okay, that's basically every whiskey, but with no individuality. There's nothing offensive, harsh, or intrusive, but why bother with average. Yes, it's cheap, but you deserve something with flavor. I'll give it to my houseguests I don't love, but I would only restock it occasionally. 18/30

Retry on Ice (25%): More or less the same. The bitterness comes through a bit more. Sweet bread and brioche notes. No improvement. Nothing is lost unless it gets over-diluted. 16/25

Total Ranking: 69% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price: $17

Actual Price: $21

Conclusion: This is well whiskey in a divey bar. There's no need to have this on your shelf. It'll impress no one and satisfy some. I'd be upset if someone offered me a scotch, and I got this. Yes, that sentiment is pretentious, but scotch is supposed to be a treat. My wife drinks vodka drinks, and I primarily drink whiskies. I spend much more money than her, but I've accepted that. I want to enjoy the flavors and experience. Nuance and character are essential when drinking spirits. This is fine for $20, but when you weigh it against all the scotch you see on the average back bar, this has no place outside the well. 

Fact Sheet:

ABV: 43%

Blended and bottled for Stanley Morrison & Sons Ltd. 

40% single malts to 60% scotch grain whisky

Review: Grand Old Parr 12 Year

Color (5%):  Beautiful amber and copper hues. Medium thinning.  4/5

Nose (10%): Honeyed bread predominantly. There are some medicinal oily notes and nice dry oak at the end. 8/10

Palate (20%): Lots of honey sugars coming through. Medium full-bodied. Nice dried fruits and cooked fruits and orange notes. Some baking spices and lots of Christmas cake flavors coming through. Yummy sherry cask finish notes. Only a little, if any, peat but lots of oak heat. 17/20

Finish (10%): Arid, oaky finish compared to the sweet palate. There is a bit of a bite to this. 6/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is an oaky whiskey for the price. Possibly too oaky for some, but I like it. There's some nice complexity to this blend. Honey, cooked fruit, and oak spice. There's a nice evolution as it goes through the mouth. It's not boring, and one note, but it's not the craziest thing ever. It is a blend, but this has more character than any budget scotch in the well. 24/30

Retry on Ice (25%): Quite nice actually. The oak shrinks down a little bit, making it softer and easier. The honey strays throughout. The dried fruit gets a little muted, but it's still there. This is easy drinking for me. It's not too abrasive at all. 20/25

Total Ranking: 79% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price: $24

Actual Price: $27

Conclusion: This product has been around since 1909. It's owned by Diageo, and while it gets less marketing publicity than Johnnie Walker, this is a quality whiskey with quite a few loyal followers. It's widely popular in the U.S. and in Latin America, as well as some fans in Japan. I first heard about this whiskey from the anime/manga "Bartender." It's a delicious whiskey for the price. I'm curious to try the 18-year-old. Given this has so much oak, I'm curious what six more years in the wood does to it. The oak makes it a bit acrid, so I can only see it getting a little use in cocktails. A good drink would have to mute that oak character a bit, defeating the point of using this. But as a sipping whiskey, this certainly beats out a lot of other blended whiskies at this price point. Give it a go; it's worth the money. I was one point away from calling this amazing, but it's great. 

Fact Sheet:

ABV: 40%

A blend of several distilleries (predominantly Cragganmore), blended and bottled in Leven, Fife

Review: Sheep Dip Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Color (5%): Golden, fall hay colored.Lighter than expected. 3/5

Nose (10%): That is an oily scotch. Old band-aids through and through. Band-aids after a dip in the swimming pool real oaky, toasty notes, pretty standard peaty young islay. 7/10

Palate (20%): Surprisingly quite light to start, very watery. It swiftly builds to a high dose of polyphenols. There's a flavor I've had before that I can't place: an English sweet sherbet? Powdered sugar flavor. It starts with nothing and builds into a rich, oily fire. Light tang, salty seaweed. Iodine medicine. 16/20

Finish (10%): Long lingering smoke with some alcohol heat. Really feel it in the bottom jaw. Very dry. I'm struggling to form saliva. Cigars aren't this binding. Light figgy, golden date note starts to appear after several sips. There is a slight medicinal rubber note.  6/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is a pretty young scotch, and the peat is so high that any oak falls away. The peat is undoubtedly the, but this falls short in balan,cn. It goes from nothing to a little something, then a hard kick in the jaw. 18/30

Retry on Ice (25%): Some pulpy fruit starts to emerge, more tangy, sour orange. My palate may be adjusting to the peat at this point. The oil still lingers, but the opening flavor and mid-palate brighten up. Certainly an improvement,t but still not anything of legendary status. 19/25

Total Ranking: 69% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price (per 750ml):  $27

Actual Price: $35 (though I found a 200ml bottle for $5)

Conclusion: Honestly, this is very different from what I expected. I'm used to blended whiskies having a kiss of smoke folded in. The standard sheep dip undoubtedly does that and does an excellent job of it. This is an islay scotch through and through. There's no debate. The finish stands strong and tall. There's less toasted oak than many other islay scotches I've had. If I wanted an islay to sip or for a cocktail, I wouldn't pick this. Stick with the classics that really excel in their category. If you want Islay, the big names certainly earned their reputation in the field of smoke. This could be a better introduction to the extremes that are Islay Scotches and an example of the extremes the region can take. It does fit to be a middle-of-the-road whiskey in a violent environment, but why? I'm sure a few people love it, but I want to see more age and spice. If they exist, I need to compare it to enough other blended Islay scotch. But I know what I want in an Islay, and this isn't it. 

Fact Sheet: 

Distillery Location: Scotland

ABV: 40% (80 proof)

Age Statement:  a blend of whiskeys aged between 8 to 12 years

Ingredients: Peated single malts from Islay

Awards: Winner of the NY, Ultimate Spirit Challenge Chairman’s Recommendation 2015, #13 - Whiskey advocate top 20 whiskies of 2017

Review: Sheep Dip Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

 Color (5%):  Lovely golden amber, copper, very clear. 4/5

Nose (10%): Delightful, clean, unmalted barley note, lightly toasted oak, 7/10

Palate (20%): delightfully light and fragrant. A medium sweetness appears at the tip of the tongue of honey and golden syrup. A slight bit of orange zest and oil. 17/20

Finish (10%): Any alcohol sharpness quickly fades but leaves a warmth of spice and cinnamon, which lingers for a long time. 8/10

Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is a fine blended whiskey. You see every component balanced and harmonized. The honey sweetness with orange oil, a kiss of smoke, and lingering spice. 27/30

Retry on Ice (25%): It brings out a bit more woody body. weakens the finish, and the opening sweetness is shortened to make way for the richer smoke. The water dilution does unbind the smokey, oily compounds trapped in the bottle. Not that the released oils of this particular whisky are dominant at all, merely enhanced. This testifies to the even greater blending skills of this producer. 22/25

Total Ranking: 85% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill

Estimated Fair Price (per 750ml): $44 

Actual Price: 38.49 (though I found a 200ml bottle for $5)

Conclusion: This is a fantastic blended whiskey, which could also be a great introductory whiskey for new scotch drinkers. There is an underlying smokiness that is not overpowering. Veteran scotch drinkers may have found themselves looking for more extreme single malts that push the boundaries of smoke and sea. Still, most whiskey drinkers fall somewhere in the middle of the bell curve in terms of their personal tastes and preferences, and that's where blended whiskies shine. This falls toward the top of the list in terms of blended whiskies. I've had a few that had a bit more weight that I like better, but this does shine for what it is. I'd happily repurchase this for the price I got at or its recommended retail. I can also easily see myself ordering a dram at a bar. I recommend it without hesitation.

Coming up next, I try Sheep Dip's Islay blend. That should definitely deliver on the punch. 

Fact Sheet:

Distillery Location: Scotland

ABV: 40% (80 proof)

Age Statement: a blend of whiskeys aged between 8 to 20 years

Ingredients: 16 different single malts, 

Awards: "Great Taste" Gold - 2009, Listed in Ian Buxton's ‘101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die