Old Parr 12 Year

My Internet crashed today which is a terrible thing to do to a tech head. No fishing because the weather is weird. What's a guy to do? A Scotch whisky tasting, of course! Three interesting and inexpensive 12 year blends are my focus today. Let's examine each in turn. The nose on the Old Parr is earthy with notes of rich wildflower honey, loam, ripe apples and pears with top notes of oxidized sherry. Buchanan's is lighter with prominent notes of Worther's Original, apple skins, strawberries, and slight lemon. The Chivas is the lightest of the three. Granny Smith apple, dry autumn fields, fresh berries and dry grain are all in play. On the taste buds these are fierce competitors. I haven't had Chivas since maybe the last century. Let's say this is new to me. Light apple skins, honey and barley grain make for a delicate sip. Sherry fruits come in mid palate. The finish is short. This is easy. Buchanan's is in my regular rotation. It lies between Dewar's 12 (a very close friend) and Johnnie Walker Black, which are also in my regular rotation. These are my "Rob Roy" stalwarts. Dependable and satisfying. The Buchanans has a richer mouth feel than the Chivas, and a little more intense flavor. Both seem to be cut from similar cloth and it would be hard to tell one from the other if they weren't tasted side by side. Old Parr is richer still. Creamier mouth feel accompanies a waft of smoke, raw honey and echoes of Spanish sherry. Simply lovely. The take-away? These are all more than acceptable whiskies and all are competitively priced. I can't imagine anyone tasting these three and finding any one of them objectionable. They are all pretty darn good! If I had to pick, my favorite today would be the Old Parr. That's just where my taste buds lead me right now. Tomorrow it could easily be one of the others. I'm happy they're all in my cabinet. Slaite!

This is one of the coolest and most unique bottles out there -- in fact, it looks more like a tequila bottle than a scotch one. It calls to mind a turtle shell, a coconut or cantaloupe, or even a grenade. I have no idea who came up with it, but I appreciate that it's easy to recognize even on a distant bar shelf. To its credit, there is no noticeable grain alcohol note on the nose, which is not always easy for a blend to pull off given that grain scotches tend to have that young spirit smell for longer than malt scotches. The nose has an almost inky quality, and screams Speyside: apple, sherry or Cabernet Sauvignon dark fruits, malt, hazelnut or chestnut, some balsamic vinegar, and spice. At first sip, this scotch is quite sweet, and the sherry emerges as candied fruit and raisins, almost chewy in texture despite only being 40%. The cereal sweetness adds a slight variation to that theme. That nuttiness remains noticeable, although it's a little more almond-like on the palate, and there's some spice in the mix as well. It's a classic sherried scotch profile, and smooth as butter. I get a medium-length finish with a touch of bitterness, a hint of smoke (although not a peaty smoke), and a lingering tart sweetness. It's not too unique, but it's good work on the part of the blenders. Honestly, if I didn't know it was a blend, I'd just assume it was from one of the standard sherry-aging Speyside distilleries. If this were a single malt and I'd paid $60 for it, it would be a 3-star review on this site. But in fact it's an inexpensive blend in the $35-40 range. Considering the value one gets, and in the holiday spirit, I'll round this guy up to 4 stars here. It'd be an 85-88 in my book by Distiller's rating system. Random note -- doesn't the name GOP render this a tailor-made gift for the conservatives in your life?

- blended scotch - Corante caramelo - Super barato - Fácil de encontrar em qualquer supermercado - Cragganmore + Glendullan = base do whisky - Empresa = Diageo Olfato: baunilha, caramelo, frutos secos (sinto muita tâmara e damasco) e uvas passas, é como se houvesse um pouco das notas tradicionais do sherry; dulçor de malte, um pouco cítrico, canela, whisky de grãos, leve defumado e amadeirado; álcool quase imperceptível. Nota adicional: após secar o copo, nota-se um aroma muito peculiar de chá, tipo chá verde ou erva mate (por conta do residual defumado). Muito interessante! Paladar: dulçor do malte, baunilha, apimentado, leve amadeirado e defumado. Frutos secos ainda presentes, tudo de forma bem equilibrada e suave. Baixa oleosidade mas um amargor interessante e presente. Assim como no aroma o álcool é pouco perceptível e não incomoda. Finalização: curta, com dulçor e amargor sendo os atores principais. Um defumado muito leve é perceptível, mas de forma muito discreta. O álcool, nesse momento é um pouco mais perceptível, mas não incomoda de forma alguma. Impressões gerais: blended whisky de entrada, muito suave e fácil de ser bebido. Preço muito acessível, encontra-se muito facilmente no Brasil e é indicado para quem está iniciando no mundo dos whiskies. Apesar do preço, possui uma aroma relativamente complexo, um show a parte, mas como as notas são muito suaves e bem balanceadas algumas pessoas poderão ter dificuldades de distinguir os aromas separadamente. Não recomendo degustar com água, no máximo uma esfera grande de gelo, pois a sua diluição Em água afetará significantemente seus aromas e sabores. Ótimo custo x benefício.

This was a "I'm at a terrible liquor store but dont want to leave empty handed" scenario purchase. I paid $31usd or so. The name apparently evokes a sense of the spirits pedigree as Mr. Parr is alleged to have lived a very long time. Classy marketing. The nose is kinda basic. Some tang in there gives you a heads up it's not terrible at the minimum. Behind the hint of peat is a bit of some star anise/cinnamon type sweet musk. Palate you get this creamy tea and burnt pine log vibe that tastes about as good as it sounds. Do you like campfires and breakfast tea with milk and honey? The peat here is present to the end (barely) but just faint enough to marry the whole mess not much else. If you could somehow make honey waffle candy out of seaweed it would taste like grand old parr. Mouth isnt too hot at all (you honestly get more in the nose, where it sill wasnt pronounced); the age and wood were put to use well. Knowing how not all 12 years are created equal I personally gave it a point or two here in my personal book. Room temp neat and it slides down very agreeably. Will I probably buy another bottle? No. But: The bottle was cool and definitely a keeper for that alone. After work on the couch nice little cheap sip sip sipper type ordeal.

First, Grand Old Parr is named for Thomas Parr, a semi-legendary Englishman reputed to have lived for 152 years, from the late 15th to the mid-17th Centuries. Quite the tale! Pouring neat, this a copper/amber in the glass. The nose is mellow and rich with musty oak, plus a generous helping of malty cereal, with notes of dried hay; and, a little candied dried fruit. It’s rich and malty sweet on the tongue, with some toffee and dried fruit flavoring, and a dash of spice. The finish is a long, lingering one, but only slightly warm and slightly peppery. There is a good whiff of peat throughout: less than Johnnie Black or Teacher's, but more than Dewar's 12 or Antiquary 12. The brown bottle is a little unusual, perhaps making it more interesting for some folks for Christmas gifting.

The nose on this is not huge but its rich with honey, fruit cake and roasted nuts. Orange peel and a small hint of wood. Sherry as well but all very muted. Taste is full round malt sweetness mixed with fruit, a hint of dark chocolate with a light spice ending. Oak, cloves and cinnamon mixed with black tea tannins are the real show stopper here because it’s all done with such refinement. The taste definitely follows the nose but with bolder colours and a touch of character that the nose only hints at. A lot to like about this dram. Its winter in Australia as I write this and this is an almost perfect dram to have on the sofa with a book. Enjoy. Thanks to Cascade for the sample.