McClelland's Speyside Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: McClelland’s

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Speyside

Age: Not specified but most likely around 5 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Date: 05/04/2012

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Grain, Malt, Sharp Oak, Young Alcohol, Light Peat. A bit Metallic. Slightly bitter Licorice.

Taste: Malt, Sweet Custard, Spices, light Oak, Bit of Honey, distinct Menthol taste. It burns a bit on the palate.

I added a few drops of water and you get a bit more peat and floral (grassy) tones on the nose. The nose fares well with a bit of water. On the palate it does not make a lot of difference. It gets more sugary but it burns less. So you can experiment a bit with just a few drops. 

Finish: Dry, Bit of Vanilla, Cocoa Powder and Light Oak, Licorice, Harsh Alcohol, Bitter.

Rating: 75 

Nose: 19,5 – Taste: 19 – Finish: 18 – Overall: 18,5

General Remarks: A McClelland’s Distillery does not exist. It’s a series of 5 Single Malt Whiskies from the main Scottish production areas. Four of them, the Highland, the Lowland, the Speyside and the Islay are NAS or Non-Age Specified. In 2008, a Speyside 12 Years was added. McClelland’s Parent company is Morrison Bowmore Distilleries (Suntory Group). They are the owners of Auchentoshan (Lowland), Bowmore (Islay) and Glen Garioch (Highland), so it is safe to say those distilleries are home to the respective expressions. However, Suntory does not own a Speyside Distillery so it’s anyone’s guess where the McClelland’s Speyside is produced. A lot of people think it could be Macallan but I think that’s highly improbable as their owners the Edrington Group needs their whisky for the Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark Blends. I have compared my tasting notes to some Distillery profiles and they came close to Craigellachie, the home of Dewar’s White Label. So that’s my option. But I won’t put too much money on it!  McClelland’s main markets are the USA, Canada, Japan and France.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Conclusion: Speyside Whiskies are usually sweet, have floral and fruity tones and a bit of peat. And they age well in Sherry Casks. So you could argue that McClelland did a reasonable job in creating a Speyside type of Single Malt. The problem that I have with this Malt however is that there are too many off notes like the bitterness, the licorice and the menthol and that there’s too little Fruit, Sherry and good Oak. I conclude therefore that this is a drinkable Single Malt at a low price (around US$ 20-25) but not one that gives you a lot of pleasure and will bring a smile to your face. And that’ s a Pity!

Jan van den Ende                                               April 2012