Old St. Andrews Clubhouse Blended Scotch Whisky

Nose: An initial gust of ethanol dissipates quickly, uncovering a mixture of sugary notes - brown sugar, barley sugar, maple syrup, toffee, etc. These are supported by some light sherry and fruit aromas. Palate: A sweet, warm and easy arrival with light fruit, sherry and sugar flavours. Lots of barley sugar and dilute malt syrup with just a hint of warm ginger spice and a little citrus. The texture is a bit watery, but that's actually not a bad thing as it balances the overall sweetness. Finish: Short. Crisp and gristy sugars fade away leaving a dilute syrup aftertaste. "Impeccably innocuous" is probably the best way to describe this very old-fashioned style of blended whisky, although if you were being mean you could also describe it as "blandly inoffensive". At first glance it might be tempting to dismiss this as purely a novelty, given the golf ball design of the bottle and all, but that would be a little harsh (but not totally inaccurate either). It's smooth and sweet and is never going to win any prizes for strength of character, but you can be equally certain that there is not one single off-note of bitterness or sourness about it. It's probably the perfect souvenir from St Andrews for a golfing friend who doesn't normally touch whisky and would be ideal for novices who don't really want to get into spirits. In many ways this is almost identical to Haig Gold Label, and like that blend it's one that would have delighted our grandfathers. Acceptable, verging on average, but not quite getting there. There are many much better blends out there for less money. *NOTE: This is a 500ml bottle, so the price for 700ml would be over AUS$70, which puts this squarely in competition with Compass Box Spice Tree. Laughable. "Adequate" : 73/100 (2.25 stars)

I figured that for 25 bucks it's always worth a try. Nice golfball-type bottle. The whisky itself looks golden brown and is very invitating. Nose starts with acetone but quickly transforms to slightly sweet notes of caramelized sugar and apple. A whiff of peat. I expected it to be very light and sweet, but it's a bit darker upfront. Tones of dirt, ginger, figs, followed by a liquorice type of sweetness. Nice, dry mouthfeel. When swallowing, the smokiness appears and is followed by bitterness. Dark chocolate and espresso. Dark brown sugar. Bitter aftertaste. Lingers a bit. This whisky is definately not life changing, but for this amount it's a very good bottle. Lacks a bit of depth, but what can you expect. Alltogether a suprisingly reasonable dram.

Old St. Andrews is Scotland's oldest golf course if i am not mistaken, and they have a very funny, Golf Ball looking miniature, that contains the famous St Andrews blended scotch. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose, i get grain whisky, red apples, slight citrus, wet grass and maize. On the palate, apples, peaches and milk powder formula. Aftertaste is a mixture of tobacco, burnt hay and grain whisky. Overall, a very easy to drink, enjoyable dram, nothing too special, i believe it is intended to be a souvenir more than a proper, complex dram. My score for this one is 72 over 100.

Light honey color. Aroma hits you as boozy. Okay with hints of vanilla mellows nicely on tha pallet. Fairly balanced and nicely drinkable if unremarkable Scotch.

Ya know, better than expected. A little bit mean on the tongue, very thin and no real nose. But not the worst.

Light peaty notes, starts with a caramel flavor, ends with a slight burn at the back of the mouth.