Whyte & Mackay Special Blended Scotch

Nose: Toffee, caramel, brown sugar, butter - it's a heavy and sweet nose and there is an odd note that takes a while to track down - it's chicory, which is a seldom found aroma in scotch whisky. Palate: A firm, strident arrival that has dark fruits and molasses in abundance. As it develops, vegetal spiciness appears together with a tense flavour of hard toffee - it's like peanut brittle that was cooked too long and almost burnt. This lingers throughout the taste. The texture is OK, but nothing to extol, and a little ethanol tinge is discernable. Finish: Medium/short. There is not much length but there's a lingering bittersweet note of horehound, which is a very rare thing to notice in whisky. This is big old-fashioned bruiser of a type you don't see much anymore. It's not subtle or nuanced at all - you know the expression "a bull in a china shop"? Well, yeah, that's this whisky. It has a robust brown sugar core and a slightly unusual herbal quality (I can't think of any other whisky where I've noticed both chicory and horehound) however the foundation malt is unfortunately rather flat, dull and has an unmistakable stain of sulphur. The palate is harder to like than the nose as it has a really uncompromising burnt sugar quality, but again it's not actually bad - just kind of rough (Jim Murray famously compared this whisky to the enjoyment of rough sex). I can't hate this as much as many folks here, and I think it's worth more than the official rating of 65 (but maybe not much more, and it's certainly a sub-70/100 whisky). I'd drink it at a bar in a pinch, particularly if Grants was the only alternative. Don't take it neat - it's not up to it and you'll only hurt yourself - restrain it with cola or dry ginger and lots of ice and it goes down just fine. "Inferior" : 69/100 (1.75 stars)

So I'm still in Maui on vacation, staying at the Westin in Kaanapali. I'm lazing poolside watching my two little rug rats swim. I decided to order drink service, and not really being a fan of anything except whiskey and red wine, my options were limited. I did see this on the drink menu, and was the only reasonably priced option. I should've stuck with ice water, in hindsight. This is absolutely disgusting. Remember back in the day, before they cleaned up 42nd st in NYC, certain establishments of ill-repute had this aroma of bleach mixed with cheap perfume? This brings back those memories. (Not that I'm saying I spent time in those ill-repute places...dear no). The taste is worse. Like that stale moldy bread that you always had in your fridge during the college dorm days. On the bright side, this did bring back many fond memories --maybe that should be their marketing plan : " re-live your poor taste-deprived college days".

While in whisky live Buenos Aires, i made my mind into tasting the most quantity of whiskies that were available. This means i took 30 drams in two days and some of them were like this blended scotch, something you shouldn't normally buy because it competes with a JW red label. Pleased to tell you, i really liked it, perhaps it was the whole scenario that drove me, since this was the first whisky i tasted there. Bottled at 40%abv, burnished gold color. On the nose is sweet mostly, with vanilla, honey, prunes, a little peat and english sauce (the one you use to cook meat). On the palate is easy drinkable, with tobbacco, ashes, very smooth, caramel and ginger. Finish was long and it was very balanced. Since this is the same company as dalmore and jura is no surprise they can make a nice blend. I give this NAS and cheap dram an 84 over 100. Cheers!

Fourth tasting of the evening. 3/5 bottle. Hard smell and taste of rubbing alcohol. The taste of barrel aged sweet urine. The alcoholic burning sensation in taste and aftertaste. Lots of wood and tannic notes.

Honestly not too bad I paid $20 cad for this so can't expect too much. It has a rum taste to it, with hints of dark caramel and smoke. Flavour profile is like black grouse but smoother

Another disgusting blend for the masses. My visiting Aunt always asks for it, hence I have to allow it on the premises ! Makes a decent anti-freeze for the car. That's about it.