Regular readers may know I’m not a huge fan of blends or blended malts. Besides my creeping skepticism wondering how many dud casks were blended away, I’m not that into mild whisky. However, Wemyss does a pretty good job on this one. A smooth gentleman, indeed. If you’re looking for a nice, relatively available malt whisky that won’t break the bank, then you may want to try a few of these releases.
Here’s a few pictures of Charlie Maclean’s mustache photoshopped onto random things to pass the time…
Nose: Lots of subtle flavors to pull out of this one. Sharp and citrusy. Light, buttery toffee, like a box of Crunch ‘n Munch. Sweet like a freshly opened pack of Marlboro Reds. It has a little bit of the herbiness that the Spice King had. A little fresh air. Uncooked Top Ramen. A very mild maritime aroma with moss and seaweed playing very quietly in the back. Those chocolate chip cookies in the bag that you used to get with school lunches. Dried grass clippings blowing by in the summer wind.
Palate: Smooth entry with a spicy perfumed finish. I wasn’t huge on the watery start but the finish is really nice; it’s like the first guy bunted but the second hit a goddamned home-run. It’s almost too smooth before you swallow it and then you open the bread cloche and catch that first hit of delicious steam. After the first sip, it’s clear sailing and the rest of the whisky catches up. Cloves and barrel char smoke. Dates and grape juice. It almost tastes like there’s a few drops of peat in there as well, but it’s so far down I might be making myself sound like a fool.
Exactly what it claims to be: smooth and gentle.
