Grant's Triple Wood

Rating: 7/23 Gotta say that the triangle bottle is kind of cool. Very Glenfiddich and with the screw top it has this kind of utilitarian vibe. N: OK, this smells like scotch. It doesn't smell like good scotch, but it doesn't smell like a disaster either. And it does at least smell like scotch. I get sulfur, some malt, smoke, some light sweet fruity and floral notes. There's something a little savory here as well, along with some hay and maybe a little bit of mineral. It doesn't smell very full, so I get a suggestion of youth from it. P: There's some more cinnamon spice here than in Sir Edward's 12, giving it a more authentic boring, bad scotch flavor. It's also thinner and less oily with some additional sweetness along with more pronounced fruity and floral flavors. I get a little bit of pear and apple. This isn't very harsh, fortunately, and I could believe either 40% or 43% for it. There's unfortunately sulfur present, but there are some other flavors of smoke and hay to almost cover it up. The harshness does gradually come out more, but it isn't too bad. There is an artificial flavor to the caramel here and I do get some alcohol. This isn't a palate that I enjoy, but it isn't an aggressively bad scotch. That's a low bar, but we're talking bottom shelf scotch here, so... F: The finish does see some increased alcohol flavor and the rest is fairly light. I still get some of the sulfur, along with hay and a light bit of cinnamon, but I really get a lot more of the mineral and pear. It's not quite as good as the palate, but it isn't a big step down. Look, I'm on the fence between this and Sir Edward 12. If I imagine Sir Edward as an Irish whiskey, that oiliness in it makes a lot more sense and I like it better up until the finish. I think at the end of the day, the sulfur here is just a bit much and there isn't anything quite as intriguing as I find in Sir Edward, so I'll give the nod to Sir Edward. I'm thinking 7 to 8 for this and I'm landing on 7 for now, but it's a solid 7.

Rating: 7/23 Bottle kill review here. This has been a hard bottle to get through. And that's even with the majority going down the drain. I would only wish this on my worst enemies. Here we go. N: Sulfur for sure, but it isn't overwhelming like in Glen Logie, Piper's Clan, or Clan MacGregor. There's sort of a paper scent along with some faint vanilla and some apricot. A little bit of some mineral, but not in a purely watery way. It's generic and muddled, but aside from the sulphur (a big "but") it doesn't smell that bad. P: Kind of spicy up front with the sulfur sitting underneath. I get cinnamon and pepper with a bit of harshness. The mineral comes in with the apricot, which is disappointingly minimized, and also a bit of apple. There's a decent amount happening here and the majority of the flavors are totally passible, but it's boring and has that sulfur backing. There's some meatiness too, which is also a clear negative, but the sulphur is a bigger problem. F: Sulphur, mineral fruit, a bit of spice and burn. Not a good finish, but at least there's some stuff happening here and it isn't the MOST sulphuric scotch I've tried (see: Piper's Clan or Clan MacGregor). - Conclusion - This isn't an exciting outcome, but I stand by my initial rating of 7. It's in the Pure Scot (the regular, not the Virgin Oak) range, but just a bit better due to its substantially reduced harshness (even though I probably prefer the Pure Scot flavor). This is a bad Scotch that I would turn down if offered if I could do so tactfully. It's not so bad as Southern Comfort, which I carry a glove to slap anyone who offers it to me across the face with. That's why it's a 7, not a 0.

First Impressions: Nose opens with a warm, approachable bouquet—woody, sweet, and lightly fruity, underpinned by a faint acrid edge likely from alcohol vapor. Notes of honey and soft spice begin to emerge. Palate: Silky and unexpectedly smooth, with a gentle, almost oily mouthfeel. No burn while held on the tongue; instead, a soft butterscotch sweetness arrives first, followed by mellow waves of cinnamon, vanilla, caramel, and a subtle touch of chocolate. Hints of apple or general fruitiness linger underneath. Finish: Post-swallow, the bite kicks in—a bright, classic scotch burn, but not aggressive. The lingering note is woody, with a warmth that sticks in the chest. No real smokiness detected, though earlier mezcal tasting may have influenced perception slightly. Overall: A confident, unapologetic scotch—simple in the best way. Balanced, smooth, sippable, and consistent. Easy to enjoy for a long, reflective night. A surprisingly velvety second class spirt with a top shelf grace. --- Poem – Unapologetic Scotch In a quiet night of half-stolen hours, when the world had finally softened its shape, you poured the past back into a glass— fifteen years, distilled to now. The nose whispered wood and firelight, a memory in fruit and faint bitterness, like breath on forgotten pages. And when you drank— no apologies, no disguise— just scotch, standing in its truth. Butterscotch dreams on the tongue, vanilla embers, caramel shadows, and a burn that came only after the kiss. Smooth as a thought not yet spoken. Simple. Honest. Yours.

- William Grant and Sons - Empresa familiar - Fundada em 1889 às vésperas do natal - Balvenie e Glenfiddich - Grant's é a 3° marca mais vendida do mundo, atrás de JW - 40% ABV - Corante + Filtragem - Substituiu o Grant's Family Reserve (2018) Olfato: suave e agradável, apesar da forte presença de álcool. Adocicado, baunilha, leve vínico de sherry, frutado de frutos vermelhos, figos em calda, maçãs, morangos, leve caramelo, leve toffee, cítrico, apimentado e algo amadeirado que remete ao carvalho europeu. Aromas agradáveis, apesar do calor do álcool, e que sugerem uma quantidade decente de single malt em sua composição. Paladar: Relativa correspondência com o olfato, mas com o álcool bem mais presente nesta etapa da degustação. Em seguida um amargor áspero também é perceptível, mas não compromete o whisky. Adocicado, amadeirado de carvalho europeu, apimentado, cítrico, leve amanteigado e frutado de frutas vermelhas. Entretanto, estas notas são facilmente superadas pelo calor do álcool e do amargor áspero. Finalização: curta, doce, amarga e quente. Impressões gerais: blended scotch whisky de entrada, com preço muito acessível e com boa complexidade para a sua categoria. Foi substituído pela versão Triple Wood, uma versão bem similar em seu perfil. O álcool evidente é o ponto baixo deste whisky, que seria bem mais agradável se fosse menos quente. Recomendo para beber em drinks doces ou, no máximo, com gelo. Impressões gerais:

For a $17 whisky, this blended scotch is pretty decent. I think it is easy for Grant's to pull a fair blend since their main malts are Glenfiddich, Glenkinchie and Balvenie. One could agree that the only difference with Monkey Shoulder is that this one has grain whisky in it. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose, starts with a Grain Whisky, but good notes of lemon, apples and almonds. Creamy. On the palate, starts very watery, with some caramel notes. Woody, lots of vanilla. Aftertaste is spicy. Peppery and salty, some hay notes also present. Overall this is a very easy drinkable whisky, specially if you consider the price. You normally expect that cheap blends are intended for heavy "discotheque" drinking and cocktails, but this one can really be enjoyed neat. My score for it doesn't reveal my true feelings about it, but it really lacks complexity and the grain whisky notes are a little annoying, therefore, it is a 63 over 100 in my sheet.

Tasted neat. On the nose it smells like a young spirit but nothing offensive. I get some red apple with the slightest hints of smoke. The palate is really light, some more apple a bit of vanilla and some pepper rounds it up. The finish is short and nothing remarkable but I would not turn it away if offered to me. I bought this bottle for 11.99 to make one of my favorite whiskey cocktails. I will mix this with some natural coconut water over ice. This is how I learned to drink scotch as a teenager back in my home land of Puerto Rico. With weather being so warm year round my people always have this refreshing cocktail on standby. Salud!