Clan MacGregor Blended Scotch Whisky

Rating: 2/23 OK, I'm killing the bottle with this pour. Finally. This was incredibly difficult to get through, particularly since I had to buy it in a 1.75L bottle, but I guess that's what you have to do when you want to sample the cheapest, most god-awful scotch on the shelf. N: Lots of sulfur and vegetal notes. This is clearly young and it's quite obvious that there are lots of heads and tail in this. Oof. It does at least smell a little rich. Or maybe that's bad. I get a fair amount of alcohol. It really isn't a good or complex nose. P: This is quite harsh. The bad flavors do help to cover up the industrial ones somewhat though. Yay? I get a lot of sulfur and vegetal notes (and maybe a bit of something bitterly and astringently herbal as well). There's a faint hint of chocolate as well. Not complex, but definitely rich. It feels like somebody tasted an Islay scotch and figured people would like just any rich, bitter, strongly flavored scotch. There is some caramel sweetness and a hint of cereal bringing in some balance, so it isn't a total loss, but it's quite aggressively bad. F: The sulfur really sticks around, along with a little bit of herbal and vegetal notes, plus some caramel, cereal, and smoky chocolate. The burning eventually stops here, so it's better than the palate, but that's a pretty low bar to be setting. I'd place this below Glen Ness. It might even be below Glen Logie since I can imagine burying Glen Logie in a drink, but I can't imagine burying this. Piper's Clan actually has a slightly more appealing profile as well. This is somehow even more-in-your-face with the sulfur. Yeah, it's a bit richer with a hint of chocolate, but big flavors does not make this nice like a peat bomb. I have to say, I prefer both Glen Logie and Piper's Clan to this and I only gave them 3s. There's a little bit of complexity with a couple of hints of nice flavors that save this from a 1. Well, maybe they save it from a 1. I'm giving it a 2 for now and I sure as hell am not buying another bottle to see if it really is as bad as a 1 out of 23. Ugh, side by side, this is substantially worse than Piper's Clan, but I'm going to stick with my rating of 2 for now.

Wow, this is some real swill. It doesn't taste actively bad, but all of the notes are a bit on the bad side and the flavor is just so weak that it's embarrassing. There are some scotch notes of malt, smoke, sweet whatever, and... that's about it. There are hints of tartness and so on, but this is really as generic as Scotch gets. There is nothing to recommend this, although the flavors do very a bit. This is frankly quite difficult to swallow. There are flowers and hints of honey and so on, but it's a mess of unpalatable flavors. This needs a lot more age to start. That might not be enough to save it though. It smells a bit sour but also a bit like cocoa. There's mainly a lot of soggy tobacco and wood though. The palate is bitter with cocoa and tobacco notes mixed with sea spray, but it's kind of like wet luggage. There's a little bit of sweetness, but it just kind of tastes like a little bit of grog was spritzed in. It's not the worst thing ever, but it's pretty bad. The harshness is a bit more than expected, but it isn't unreasonable. A bigger sip delivers a richer and more robust flavor, but everything just kind of blends together. It has some nice grain and malt elements, showcasing the raw elements of the blend reasonably nicely. There's also a bit of fruitiness that's a bit floral with hints of apricot and definitely some vanilla. It would be pretty drinkable if it weren't inundated with sulfur. Some alcohol does show through. As an acquired tastes and under the right circumstances, it is sort of drinkable (essentially, if you're used to the sulfur and have already filled your palate a bit). Sulfur is without a doubt the preeminent flavor here. It's disgusting. The malt isn't overwhelming like that of Westward, though it's also a lighter whiskey. And it has a lot of sulfur. Like, an ungodly amount. Who knew that this was possible. This has less in the way of sharp flavor than Westward does, though it also is less robust with a more subdued mouthfeel. Still, the flavor isn't weak and those fruity, floral notes save it from being a total loss. The sulfur reminds me of San Matias Legado Blanco, but more extreme with some fruitiness to balance it out a little.

I tried this whiskey as part of my budget Scotch adventure. I’m looking for value-priced Scotches that stand out in the crowd. I want to find one or two that I can keep on hand that don’t break the budget. On the nose, this one doesn’t have much to offer—basically acetone. A thin whiskey in the mouth with a touch of oak, burn, and brine. The finish might be the highlight: warm honey. This is the second budget scotch I’ve ever had. The first was The Famous Grouse, which I forgot to review despite going through two bottles. Clan is priced (in my area) a full $10 less than Grouse, which definitely forces one to consider it a contender. I mean, $14 for a bottle of scotch! Wow! After three nights of sipping on this whisky, I’d say it’s not the worst I’ve tasted. I’ve had Speyside varieties that I have enjoyed less. Here’s the kicker with Clan, though: When you add a touch of water (as was advised by the good fellows at the Whiskey Vault), this whisky comes alive. After that, this tastes like something I can keep around. Looking forward to see where the budget scotch adventure takes me next. On to The Famous Grouse for a full review.

Appearance: The color was a light honey gold. The dram had medium to thick legs that were extra oily. Nose: The nose was overall floral and had notes of honeysuckle, smoke, grapes, and orange peel. Taste: The palate had a nice round body, with fruity notes of apples, pear, smoke, orange and a bitter note like grapefruit towards the end. Finish: There was medium length finish leaving a fresh aftertaste, though it did go down with a little bite. Thoughts: So I bought this scotch for the superbowl yesterday, not expecting much. But I was actually impressed with the drinkability and value despite being a bottom-shelf blend. It was an honorable dram for $14.00 and I quite enjoyed it and would recommend it. Clan MacGregor, thank you for the enjoyable dram. “Will the MacGregor’s ever be kings again?” “All men with honor are kings. But not all kings have honor.” -Rob Roy. Sláinte!

Clan MacGregor Blended Scotch, 40% abv. Aged 3 years (the minimum). Made in Scotland, imported and bottled in the US by Alexander MacGregor&Co. (Edison, New Jersey). Found this in glass (1 liter) on Catalina Island. Normally I only see it in the big plastic 1.75L's. Aroma: odd notes, minor sweetness/sherry, grainy, not much aroma. Taste: moderate to high sweetness/sherry note, grainy, minor oak notes, minor spice finish, very smooth, has a generic scotch flavor. Taste better than it smells, no major off notes. The flavor is not the boldest, biggest, or longest lasting. Its an average/high average cheap scotch. My go to liquor store has this for 16 dollars for a plastic 1.75L. Cost: ~15 plus tax (1 liter) Grade: C+

I’ll be blunt and honest here. I don’t know how to rate this whiskey. Overall it’s not amazing. Basic notes you’d expect from a blended scotch. Has some peat to it. But this whiskey is $15. For that price range, its 5 stars. I think every scotch lover should have a bottle of this on hand at all times because it is very decent for such a low price. If you’ve had a few Ardbegs or Laphroaigs and let’s be honest, your palette is pretty tapped out for the night, this is a great budget whiskey to break out and finish off the night with. It’s not going to offer a rich complex experience, but it’ll do the job of a scotch