Grangestone 12 Year

The Grangestone 12, from the makers of Glenfiddich and Balvenie, an entry level scotch that is perfect for newcomers and shareable experiences. The combo of light floral, citrus combined with oak, malt and vanilla makes for what should be an interesting experience. The nose—the citrus notes pick up on the upper part of the aroma, the floral/oak notes are layered deep in the aromatics—as with the non-aged statement versions you have to dig a little to get past the aroma of phenolic influences which are pretty heavy for a 12. The taste—Smokey goodness, the influences of grains/cereals, wood (oak), noticeable peat/smoke bring a level of depth and flavor that is surprising as it is rewarding. The finish is accompanied with a tie of floral notes and a subtle delicate sweetness that invites you to try another sip. The bigger surprise is the consistency drink to drink. The Grangestone 12 is a rare occasion of development beyond the nose, the aromatics are messy and chemical like, while the aromas aren’t unpleasant—they don’t tell half the story. The truth is in the juice, what is expected to be a unrefined explosion of malt, phenols, and ethanol, instead is a balanced taste of subtle spice, rich notes of cereals, smoke/peat, and oak, with a delightful finish to match. This was a surprising dram, that would make for a great beginner scotch as well as a good well for season scotch drinkers and a perfect share at a party. —the scotch guy

I found a few of these shooters on the shelf at the local and grabbed them to see what we can see, sorry didnt get a chance to spot the price on full sized bottles. A very Highlands nose of spicy citruses, Glen-maOrangie if you will, really nice if that is your thing. That nose theme follows with some sweet cereals, lemon and orange fruit loops through the middle and ends with only slight smokes. This fruity Highlands dram seems really "approachable" to use that over worked word. What I like, as a novice Scotcher, is the laid back peats and smokes, nothing about the malt side bowls over the nice, sweeter notes, some real balance here. This is a good one for a lot of palates, here is a Scotch that doesn't taste like it's ready to take the paint off the walls. This one isn't going to win any awards for complexity nor are the hard core Islay fans going to be impressed, but a nice bottle for those who appreciate the fruity easy going scotch profile. Cheers!

I'm having a little bit of fun with 50ml samplers that I purchased from Total Wine. I am completely unfamiliar with Grangestone and I have never had any of this brand of whisky before. I sampled this neat from a Glencairn and gave the whiskey ample opportunity to rest before tasting. The nose is pretty nondescript. I get a little honey, some ethanol, a bit of a light grain note, perhaps a bit flowery. Certainly nothing special about it. There is also nothing off-putting. It has a surprisingly good mouth feel, with a soft entry and a wave of sweetness. The finish goes a bit bitter after the swallow. A bit of wood is what's left as an aftertaste. There's really not much to it and there's nothing to get excited about. 2.5 stars for being wholly average and, I'm assuming, pretty inexpensive.

Tasted 4 bottles blind. The bourbon cask, sherry cask, rum cask, and 12yr single malts from grangestone. Nosing and tasting notes are from the blind tasting. On the nose there is an anise spice over a malty mustiness reminiscent of wine barrels. A light vanilla and burnt sugar lay in the back ground. The taste surprisingly has a light smokiness to it up front which was a surprise. Following that is a maltiness like toasted biscuits with clove and anise. The finish was spicy, short to medium in length, with a vanilla thread running through it. More of that faint light smokiness as well. Overall this was my second favorite of the four though closer to third place than first.

This was better than I thought would be. A decent whisky for the price. I don’t usually trust the independent bottlers but my research tells me the owners of Glenfiddich & Balvenie do the bottling for this for Total Wine. So that’s something lol It’s very easy to drink. You get the sweet maltiness you get on most highlands. A bit of vanilla and even some unexpected ashy note on the finish. It’s rich and even with a low proof it got a character to it. It’s not mind blowing great, but my whisky sipping experience was pleasant.

At first, the flavor seems a little muddied. But on a second to sip, the sweetness and the grassiness tends to come through. There's a subtle melon note with some lemon oil bitterness on the front end, but it settles in quite nicely. The Finish is short, and does develop, but only briefly. UPDATE: the more I drink this, the more subtleties of spice come out and emerge. I'm actually starting to really love this scotch. It's very nice.