Bell's Original

Rating: 11/23 I've really heard nothing about this, but I fully expect it to be mediocre at best. N: Light sulfur, smoke, meat, and maybe a dash of peat. Then some grain emerges. I start getting some light apple and then mineral with a bit of cardboard or perhaps chalky character to it, expressing the dram's youth, but there's also a balanced butterscotch and light baking spice scent to it. A hint of light, sweet perfumed lemon like from a wet wipe emerges as well. Originally, I thought there was nothing too exciting going on here, but the more I smell it, the more balanced and agreeable it seems. Way better than The Famous Grouse already! P: This actually has a pretty decent highland crossed with island profile. It's a bit harsh, but it has a good smokiness mixed with mineral, sweetness with a bit of apple, light orange zest, and salt bordering on sea spray. The flavors are actually pretty solid and balanced. I get some vanilla as well eventually, along with some (not mildewed) cardboard. There might be a dash of peat, but it's hard to be sure that it isn't just smoke and some sort of young herbal presence (a hair like Copper Fox Rye). It reminds me a bit of a disappointing Highland Park. The body is medium-thin and does retain a lightness. The flavors are perhaps too subtle and a bit of the sulfur does make its way in, but this is a surprisingly balanced and drinkable dram despite its youth. The biggest problem is that while there might be a little bit of white pepper flavor, most of the heat is attributable to alcohol harshness. This is actually fairly harsh for its proof. If it weren't for that harshness, I'd actually enjoy the palate fairly well (at like a 13 to 14 level). The biggest other flaws are the slightly excessive sweetness and general lightness, but surprisingly little alcohol flavor comes through. F: That smoke sure lingers, along with some cardboard graininess and some minerals. A bit of tartness from either the peat or apple lingers, but it isn't clear which. It's still kind of sweet. I'm actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of this. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it doesn't have that cheap scotch sewage flavor and does a decent job of balancing adequate complexity with some nice flavors and general balance. Being blended, some of the flavors are a bit muddled, but I wouldn't object to drinking this. I think I'd give it a slight edge over Sir Edward's 12 because it doesn't have the same odd flavors. I think it's also better than Highland Queen Majesty Sauternes, moving it out of the barely-drinkable budget scotch category I think that puts this somewhere around an 11 or maybe even a 12. I do wish it were less harsh so I could go up to a 13 or 14. I'm surprisingly happy with this dram, but I think I'll stick to an 11. Seems like a good choice for a budget scotch.

Nose: Light, generic sweet cereal, fruit and floral notes. There’s not much going on but also no glaring faults. There is a touch of rubbery low-grade cask aroma and an alcohol nip, but that’s not unusual in an inexpensive blend. If you add a few drops of water the vanilla blooms and becomes lightly floral. Palate: The arrival is soft and dominated by simple alcohol sweetness. There are subdued flavours of cereal, malt, fruit and a hint of smoke but it’s all very low-key and the sweetness of industrial grain whisky which is the foundation is never far away. There is a slightly hard metallic note also coming from the grain whisky, but it’s not horrible, just noticeable on the later palate. The texture is neutral. Finish: Short. The palate quickly dissipates leaving virtually no aftertaste. I have a weakness for whisky and Coke. It’s not that I like to dilute my whisky with Coke, but that I enjoy my Coke with added flavouring (some people like vanilla Coke, some like cherry Coke … I like whisky Coke). For this purpose I always have at least one bottle of supermarket-grade blended scotch in the drinks cabinet, and there are a couple of dozen brands I buy in rotation, one of which is Bells. There is a characteristic mild earthy smoke note to it that I don’t notice in many other affordable blends. It reminds me of what Teacher’s Highland Cream was like in the 1990s. Bell’s is one of the most affordable "distilled, blended and bottled in Scotland" blended scotches you can buy. It has no pretention to being a sipping whisky (although you can drink it neat without injury) and it is often dismissed by enthusiasts, but there are many worse whiskies you can buy at around that price. If you are on a tight budget Bell’s is an acceptable option, but plan to drink it over ice and with Coke, dry ginger ale or tonic water. “Adequate” : 73/100 (2.25 stars)

When I read on this site that Jim Murray rated Bell's Original at 91, I recently went out and bought the 2017 edition of his rating guide (excellent!). I had tried Bell's on one of our previous golf trips to Scotland and thought it was very good. Seeing this brand everywhere in the UK and never in the states made me suspicious and, lo and behold, after the first sip I proclaimed, "The bastards are hoarding it all to themselves!" If memory serves me, I believe it was at Moray Golf Club in Lossiemouth. We hooked up with some locals who informed us, "No one leaves till everyone buys a round." Now, far be it for me to break tradition, but it was getting late and we still had a hike up to Tain. Nevertheless, we persevered and it was well worth the philosophy lessons garnered that day. Aside, one gent explained to me, "Unlike Americans, we don't run to the therapist when troubled; this is our therapy." I responded with, "Yes, but I'm from New England and we're so cheap the entire profession had to pack up and move to France." I think he liked my comment because I could see remnants of his last gulp of Tennents dripping from his nose. :)

Edit: I didn't taste this one, but an old blend from the 70's/80's. For the 3d round of the whisky diner I chose the bottle on the shelf with the oldest appearance. The botlle with a heavily worn and torn label turned out to be an 70/80's blend by Arthur Bell and sons. The Bell's Islander is an Island & Islay blend with components from Port Ellen, Lagavulin and Talisker. Purely out of politeness I accepted the dram, but right after nosing I knew I should have rejected it. I guess that the smoke and peat have been long gone since bottle opening, somewhere in the 70's or 80's. It was very malty and grainy but lacked any of the Island/Islay stuff I love so much. Some lemon had survived the years of oxidation. The palate was malty and flat but surprisingly some smoke had decided to stay put. The medium finish had the same malty flatness, but some sharp edged spicy alcohol did show it's teeth after all these years. I really liked the idea of drinking from an old bottle, containing Islay/Island stuff, but it wasn't enjoyable at all thanks to the oxidation. I advised the restaurant to remove this one from their shelf.

Olfato: cereais, leve defumado, adocicado, cítrico, calor alcoólico e mel. Todos os aromas (exceto a do álcool) são bem suaves, com o defumado um pouco mais sobressalente. Whisky muito, muito simples. Paladar: basicamente as mesmas notas percebidas no aroma, com mais pungência do álcool. É possível notar amargor notas apimentadas, reforçados pela força do álcool. Zero complexidade. Finalização: curta, com amargor e calor do álcool presentes por mais tempo. Ao fundo, mas de forma muito discreta, um defumado persiste. Impressões gerais: whisky simples, sem complexidade, e indicado apenas para drinques. Em sua faixa de preço ainda é um bom custo benefício, mas este é um whisky muito barato, então não espere muita coisa. Mesmo para drinques, vale a pena buscar outras opções no mercado. O corpo é muito ralo, deixando uma sensação “aguada” na boca. Não considero um blend de entrada, mas um blend barato voltado para quem quer economizar e não se importa com qualidade.

Nose: light, fruity, crisp orchard fruits, light sweetness, honey notes, some sharp grain notes, alcohol tones. For science, do something that’s a little unorthodox with this one. Let it sit and open up a bit. Also, let it warm a little in the glass with your hand as the nose will change. The alcohol vapors will subside and let it be what it actually is. Inhale very, very slowly and very gently. You will get the fruitiness, but with the faintest hint of briny sea air and peat. It is subtle but it is there. Taste: fruity, light, a little alcohol, peppery oak cask notes, malt, spicy almost cinnamon like, the peat flashes for a moment and fades quick enough, finish is medium in length with spicy peppery tones and a light malty sweetness. You actually can drink this neat but is likely better as a mixing scotch. For the price, very surprised it is was it is.