Sheep Dip

Nose: toffee or caramel fudge, red apple, honey cheerios, floral, malt, toast Palate: light, young, pear, has spiky edges and a sourness Finish: nutty spiciness, sourness _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Last 16, Match 6: Sheep Dip versus BenRiach Curiositas 10yo Sheep Dip is a blended malt that has changed hands as a brand several times and is now owned by Ian Macleod Distillers. It was previously owned by Whyte & Mackay and it seems old big-nose Richard Patterson still has a hand in this, or at least did so until recently. The nose holds up well enough (the whisky’s, not Patterson’s) with a fresh and malty waft but is no match for the sweet smoke of Curiositas. Although a blended malt it has a grainy taste and a battery-licking tanginess that seems to betray a youth at odds with the official description of a blend of 16 different individual malts aged from 8 to 21 years old. The finish is short with a pleasant nutty spiciness but is held back by a slight sourness. Both the palate and finish are behind the deeper, sherry influenced peat notes of the Curiositas. It’s ewe-nanimous and so, shorn of dignity and without a ruminant of pride, it sheepishly leaves the arena ^groan^ _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- The intolerable torment of a whiskyphile. I have too large a backlog of samples and miniatures to go through. Like selecting what to watch next on Netflix, often selecting a dram can take twice as long as drinking it. So I developed a plan so clever you could put a tail on it and call it a fox. I have picked sixteen scotch whiskies that are 12yrs or younger or NAS to battle it out in a Scotch Deathmatch. It’s my incentive to lighten the logjam. Follow along if you care (and really why should you?). Oh the drama! https://challonge.com/ScotchMadness

Nose: Wafts of generic fruit, oak, cereal, etc. but it's not very impressive and is remarkably like the nose of a blended scotch. Palate: The arrival is spicy and sweetish, veering towards heat as it rests in the mouth, and then suddenly blooming with sour harsh malt and bitter coffee. The texture is not noteworthy. Finish: Short. Fleeting malty notes from the late palate compete with sour grains in the aftertaste. If you encounter this as part of a blind tasting I guarantee you'll guess it to be a bottom shelf blended scotch. There is a thin hardness to both the nose and palate and an unwelcome ethanol stain. It is certainly the least characterful or engaging blended malt I've tasted. I'd put it on the same level as Johnnie Walker Red Label (to which it bears something of a resemblance). Even a small dash of water kills the nose but it does, mercifully, soften the palate a little. It's definitely at its best as a mixer with soft drinks, where (just like blended scotch) the hard finish is balanced by the sweetness of cola, lemonade, ginger ale or what have you. My first inclination was to give this 1.5 stars but I'm raising that to 2 based on it's performance as a mixer. However it is neither good value nor worth the official rating of 82. I won't be buying another bottle. (PS - I have a strong suspicion that this is an opportunistic blend and the formula has some elasticity). "Adequate" : 70/100 (2 stars)

This is a 43.5% version. Honey yellow color with a scatterplot chart of lacing on the inside of the glass. The more you gently swirl, the longer the legs go. The initial sniff is brown sugar and toffee. It's got a burnt sugar, like creme brulee and marzipan confections. There are secondary whiffs of cream, butter and barley. Just the slightest touch of old oak. The flavor is lots of brown sugar and sweet caramel. Butterscotch, butter and cream/milk. Some musty hay. Just a touch of citrusy lemon drop at the end. It finishes just as pleasantly as it begins: mild chocolate with a secondary minty coolness. Menthol tobacco ash. A little salty at the end, but only slightly. At only $31, Sheep Dip is a very solid addition to the shelf. It's very friendly: soft flavors of brown sugar and caramel, a hint of citrus, with a little salty chocolate at the finish.

This is very similar to their blended scotch Pigs nose which is decent. This is better........Poured neat , nose is bready malt, some light apple cinnamon and tea leaves with a bit of barrel and char. Palate is more of the same with sweet malt, oaky dough and char. Maybe a wisp of smoke but more like the fire's been out a long time. Finish is drying malt and char with wood notes that linger. Overall I find it pretty enjoyable. Vatted malt so no grain harshness to deal with. However its a little pricey(for malt blend) at mid to high 30's. Deanston virgin oak is in this profile, tastes better imo and is less$. Still Im not disappointed with Sheep Dip and even give it a recommend score of 81/100...........If you find it for decent price worth a shot if you like malty "scotchy" scotch

nose is quite pungent: brine, honey, citrus, oatmeal, vanilla, floral palate tangy: vanilla, honey, citrus finish is quite spirity: some coffee and oak on the back end reminiscent of old pulteney. I've avoided this for long, due to price, abv, and a couple of negative reviews. definitely punches above its weight, and its flavors appeal to me

Tasting in a small snifter. Color: Mellow gold Nose: Stewed apple, cinnamon, red grape skin, faint smoke. Pallet: campfire ash, stewed fruit, cherry, oak, cinnamon, nutmeg Finish: Light smoke, oak spice, medium length finish. This is a gem for those who want something with a smoked fruity nose and pallet this is worth picking up.