A solid introduction to a revived brand. Nose: Light smoke. Caramel, classic Highland herbs, nutmeg and some spice. Smells just right for 8 years and somewhat smooth for unfiltered 46 ABV. Overall, pleasant and inviting. Taste: Smoky notes quickly fade into the classic Highland profile. It's rich on caramel, but not overpowering. A smooth transition into herbal and spicy notes. Well balanced. Nothing stands out here, but it's a very good dram. Tastes like a mix of ex-bourbon, charred and even some sherry casks, perhaps. Somehow it's also unexpectedly smooth for unfiltered 46 ABV. Finish: A bit short, but still very pleasant and sippable. Just right, considering its age. However, the finish is still not long enough, when considering the unfiltered 46 ABV. This is probably the smoothest 46 I have ever tasted. I wouldn't even try adding water to this dram. Final thoughts: rumour mill has it that this is either a Macallan or a Glenfarclas. This whisky is a solid introduction to a brand that was recently revived by Halewood. It will certainly be interesting to see what they eventually produce out of their new distillery in Leith.
About this bottle
John Crabbie & Sons was a brand of scotch whisky that went under in the 1970s. Crabbie 8 Year was introduced in early 2018 by the folks who are behind the upcoming Crabbie Distillery in Edinburgh, set to open sometime in 2019. This sourced single malt was distilled at an undisclosed distillery and was aged for 8 years.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 8 parsed reviews.
crabbie sweet cherry red fruits, quite light, strawberry notes, floral, gentle, breezy 3 hollow, bitterness, thick oily, rough oaky, dryness, high pep 0 oaky 0 0.25 Sweet berries sugary mid high pep. Pear. Orange. 1.5 Spicy heat bitterness cinnamon heat 1 Oak 1 1
Boozy butterscotch on the nose. Clean smooth burn on the palate. Very reminiscent of a strong Speyside. This was a favorite.
Paint thinner, citrus nose. Not as bad as expected. Strawberry banana caramel. Decidedly harsh. 8/16/19
Karmellubragð og örlítið fruity. Sterkt í prósentum en miðlungs í bragði.
not bad for the price, not impressive overall
2 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
Tastes like this
Same style and price bracket, best rated first.