Famous Grouse Smoky Black

- Blended scotch whisky - 40%ABV - Possui corante caramelo e filtragem gelada - Produzido com base no single malte defumado da Glenturret - Produzido pela Edrington Group Olfato: defumado, dulçor, figos (algo que lembra envelhecimento em ex-jerez), malte, caramelo, mel, frescor cítrico (uma lima, talvez), maçãs verdes, amadeirado, apimentado e um pouco álcool. Palato: dulçor (menor do que indica o aroma), bom amargor, apimentado, amadeirado, defumado, frutos vermelhos, cítrico e um pouco do calor do álcool. Simples porém saboroso e agradável. Finalização: média e sua boa se enche de saliva, trazendo consigo os sabores deste whisky. O calor do álcool desaparece rapidamente, mas o defumado (tipo presunto) e amadeirado permanece por alguns minutos em sua boca. Agradável finalização. Impressões gerais: deixe-o respirar por alguns minutos (recomendo tampar a taça) e terá um whisky bem diferente do que provando-o sem repouso. Muito agradável, suave, com um ótimo defumado (suave) e com álcool que não desagrada, mesmo sendo perceptível. Frutado e defumado bem balanceados e com um preço muito acessível. Um bom blended whisky que certamente entrega o que promete. Recomendo puro ou com algumas gotas de água, mas não recomendo com gelo pois isso ocultaria todas as nuances deste whisky.

Blended Scotch Whisky 40% ABV Whisky NAS Whisky base: Glenturret Peated Tem filtragem gelada Tem corante caramelo Olfato: baunilha, caramelo, levemente defumado, madeira tostada, barril recauchutado, dulçor, whisky de grãos. Muito discretamente, em uma sub camada, um pouquinho medicinal e borracha queimada. Pouca percepção de álcool. Paladar: suave, dulçor, baunilha, caramelo, picante, frutado simples, suave amargor, defumado e bem simples. Pouco álcool no paladar. Finalização: curta. Dulçor e tostado do barril é o que fica mais perceptível. Impressões gerais: whisky jovem, simples, bem fácil de beber mas com baixo custo x benefício. Não se trata de um whisky caro, mas a entrega não acompanha o preço. O single malt da Glenturret é sobrepujado pelo whisky de grãos, o que na minha opinião derruba a qualidade deste whisky.

N: Honey, dark red fruit, and smoke. Little tea, spice, and bread too. Nothing pops too strong, good or bad. I get a pretty strong ethanol smell when nosing that doesn't seem noticeable on a casual sip. I guess don't try too hard with this one. P: Bounces between rich honey and a hot, watery and spicy tea flavor. There's some caramel and vanilla, of course. It softens into a vanilla sugar cookie flavor. Finish has a tongue coating light spiciness that's sort of an unusually hot cinnamon (which is still not that hot really). Doesn't last long. I get no smoke on the palate. Kinda odd for the smoky line extension. Meh, it's okay. I don't have strong feelings about it, good or bad. That's probably the goal here.

The nose is butterscotch and briny salt. The peat manifests itself more as tobacco ash: it's smoky but not harsh. Buttery coffee creamer. A sulphuric/broccoli note briefly rears its head, before reverting to its butterscotchy origins. The first sip is milk creamer, a little buttery, but morphs into vanilla creme. There is a spicy cinnamon in the middle of the palate. There is a more earthy peat character with a peppery sting. A distinct plum/prune/stone fruit savoryness poker its head in. The finish is a metallic/astringent first wave. The creamer flavor sticks throughout, with a little zing of citrus spice. The raisin/plum (it must come from the barrels) adds a satisfying finish.

Got a deal on it, and had realistic expectations on the level of quality I think. I enjoy the standard Famous Grouse with a mist of absinthe, but I can't say I'm pleasantly surprised. The "peated" (smokey) quality doesn't agree with me, even though I really have enjoyed the peat forward scotches I've had in the past (Ardbeg, Laphroaig). Perhaps its the salty sweet character that others note that has me thinking it's drinking cheaper than I expected. I need to try this on another day, because I'm slightly sickened by the flavor of this first taste.

The nose is not smokey which is a unique experience for me when drinking peated whiskey. Instead the nose is slightly sherried. I have to breathe pretty deeply from my tumbler to catch anything. Bam! The palate is a bit salty and sweet and here is where the smoke makes itself known. The finish is smokey and a little peppery. It’s a fairly smooth whiskey, but for a budget peated whiskey I’m a little more of a fan of Teacher’s. I love Famous Grouse Ruby Cask — it’s delicious and I had high hopes for Smokey Black, but I’m a bit disappointed.