Reviews by: Anonymous
McClellands Highland
Review by: AnonymousColor: Ligt to medium golden amber
Nose: Very light smoke, heather and faint fruit; we disagreed on what fruit. Peaches? Nectarines?
Body: Medium to light in body, a bit warm but not hot in feel. (We used a few drops of filtered water with it)
Palate: A wonderful, light whiskey with enough complexity to interest one. Roasted malt and light new wood flavor. Residual hard candy sweetness that went well with the fruity notes and faint smoke / tar.
Finish: Moderate lingering finish. Not particularly complex. Some herbal notes, maybe green hay or leaves?
Another surprisingly good offering for the price. At under $20 US you will absolutely not go wrong with this or the Speyside. Real regional character at blend price.
McClellands Speyside
Review by: AnonymousColor: Light golden amber
Nose: Honey in the comb, summer flowers, faint maltiness and a hint of citrus
Body: Medium in body, not a burly whiskey but quite satisfying, especially given the price point.
Palate: Fragrant and even a bit fruity, a summery feel of flowers and heather. Just a bit of caramel malt.
Finish: Moderate finish, certainly not up to the best of breed, but quite good for a five year old. Light on the wood but a definite touch of vanilla at the end.
You will be surprised how good this is at under $20 US a bottle, especially if you taste it blind against almost any ten year old. EXCELLENT value for everyday drinking, even if you save something exceptional on the shelf for guests.
I like the kick of this wiskey - nice & strong.
The Six Isles Island Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Review by: AnonymousColor: Pale honey
Nose: Musty sweet like damp sack cloth with a hint of iodine.
Body: Smooth and fine.
Palate: The hefty Orkney asserts itself with a powerful sweet malty smokey taste but still allowing the salt and iodine of the Islay whisky through.
Finish: This is a subtle blend which has an initial smooth satin taste on the tongue but is so light it doesn't linger on the palate as long as west coast single malts.
Deceptively light, and so easy to drink, this one creeps up on you unlike the big hitters.
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Review by: AnonymousColor: wheat field
Nose: phenolic but lighter than standard laphroaig
Body: smooth and quite heavy in texture, the cask strength giving it considerable length of texture
Palate: Reminiscient of beached seaweed. Iodine precariously but perfectly balanced by the high strength alcohol.
Finish: a slight warmth in the finish but the phenol and iodine lingers. Very long finish.
A real classic at a good price point. This is one to keep, if you can resist the temptation. To me Laphroiag is the glorious epitome of character in malts and this is a more refined version of the essential parts of this distillary's output. Of course there are better but not at this price...
McClellands Islay
Review by: AnonymousColor: golden
Nose: a bit harsh, some peat, a little hay
Body: a bit rough
Palate: defined peat
Finish: hot on the throat
This is a single malt that is for the budget drinker. I can appreciate a nice Lagavulin every now and then (and even keep some at hand), some Laphroigh a little more often, and a good Talisker as well. However, those can all break the bank in a hurry. This is a good "house malt" if you will... and it also benefit greatly from just a bit of water.
The Glenlivet 12 Years Old
Review by: AnonymousColor: Pale Amber
Nose: Very floral and fruity. I absolutely love the nose on this expression. Pear, apricot, apple. No burn, very sweet, very pleasant to nose. Very light, to almost no peat smell.
Body: Medium body, not chewy or thick.
Palate: sweet, floral, fruity and grassy. It has very good balance. Not very much distinct "peat" flavor at all. This is a very light and sweet dram, very good for afternoons and dinner.
Finish: good long lasting finish. Sweet, sticky and delightful.
This is my favorite scotch hands down. I'm not a heavy smoky and peaty scotch lover. I like Speyside scotches and this and Glenfiddich happen to be my favorite. This is a great all around, enjoy anytime scotch.
J & B Rare Blended Scotch Whisky
Review by: AnonymousColor: Straw
Nose: light Peat, fruity, grassy.
Body: medium body
Palate: a little hot and peppery. Light, peaty, lemony, very sweet.
Finish: has a good smoky smooth finish that is pretty long. Leaves a good numbness on the tongue and a good sweet stickiness on the finish as well, leaving you wanting to take another pull like any good whiskey should do.
There are many good scotches on the market. This is one of them. J & B is an old contender and maybe because of that it has lost some popularity, but in my opinion, it's a darn good blend. Especially for the price. It has a pretty good nose, it's pretty smooth and has a good taste about it. It finishes well and it's a good quality liquor. I like to drink my scotch with ice and J & B takes to ice very well, which means that it has some depth and character. It's my everyday scotch.
Ballantine's Finest
Review by: AnonymousColor: Straw
Nose: Peaty with a light smoke and dull chocolate
Body: Full and mellow
Palate: Most excellent, well rounded, tongue caressing, a slow burn with a lingering smoky afterburner
Finish: warm and fuzzy
An excellent sipping scotch, in company of women its rated as an industrial strength panty-remover.