A wonderful blend. Hard to beat at this price. I would buy this again. If you like Speyside single malts, you'll love this. Impressively rich and balanced.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The details
Distillery: Unknown blended Speyside for The Wine Societry
Region: Speyside
Bottler: The Wine Society
Age: 8 years old
Bottle: 70cl, screwtop
Number of bottles: Unknown
ABV: 40%
Cask type: Unknown (probably mixed bourbon and sherry)
Filtered/coloured: Unknown.
Sample date: Sunday 7th November 2021
Region: Speyside
Peated/unpeated: Unpeated.
Cost: £20.00
Availability: The Wine Society website
This is a vatted malt blend; all malt, no grain whisky. And it shows. There's nothing rough or flat here. It's a great example of a blend that disproves the "single malts are best" myth. I don't think you can get a single malt for £20 that would match this in quality.
From the bottle
"An eight year old vatted Speyside malt blended exclusively for The Wine Society"
Tasting notes
Eye
Pale gold
Nose
Fresh and fruity. Cider apples, vanilla, almond, a hint of cherry, biscuity cereal nots, ginger. At first quite basic and pleasant but this develops quickly.
After water, more apple, some pair, and fresh floral notes come out, with some nice honey. It really comes alive with a touch of water. Dark fruits, raisins, dates. Pineapple and hints of other tropical fruits underneath. Refreshers (sweets). A hint of fresh cut grass at the back. This keeps getting better.
SCORE: 20/25
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Taste
Soft and creamy mouthfeel. Sweetness and light spice. Lemon and tropic fruits emerge. A little lively tanginess, ginger root. Christmas cake icing.
After water the fruitiness develops with more pear and some melon. Very slightly leafy undernote that works well to give it body.
SCORE: 19/25
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Finish
Thick honey, more ginger. Wonderfully smooth, warm, sherried and medium finish. A woody bitterness comes through in the finish, which is a nice contrast to the sweet fruitness of the nose and taste. A little dry white wine. A little caramel.
SCORE: 20/25
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall
This is a truly excellent, well-balanced blended malt. It all fits together nicely, noses well, tastes well, finished well—and responds well to water. It's not in your face; a slow-burner, taking a while to come out of its shell. Leave it to sit in the glass for ten minutes first, give it a dash of water, and it will reward you.
SCORE: 20/25
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Final verdict
Definitely worth a try. This is the best blend I've had at around the £20 price tag. Better than the Adelphi blend at around £25.
TOTAL: 79/100
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Wine Society pride themselves on quality, and they have certainly done that here. This would make a great beginner whisky for people who think they don't like whisky. It would also make a great warm-up dram before a flight. It's not too heavy in any one direction but it gets different parts of the palette going—without leaving a blinding finish.
Other drams from The Wine Society:
Single malts: The Society's Reserve Cask Selection Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 1991, The Society's Exhibition Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 8 Years Old, The Society's Exhibition Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 12 Years Old
Blends: Blended Speyside & Highland Scotch Whisky, West Cork Blended Irish Whisky
Comentarios