Grand Macnish Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Grand Macnish

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 40%

Color: Bright Gold

Nose: Sweet Grain, Malt, Caramel, Light Peat, Oak, Straw, Leather, Floral Tones (Think of Lavender), Honey and Lemon. A light Vinegar off-note. There’s a hint of fruit but I can’t pin it down. Peach maybe or Pineapple. Some Sharp Alcohol makes it a bit difficult to get to the heart of this Blend. Give it time to open up a bit. It’s not bad but I can’t really get excited about this.

Taste: Sweet Grain, Caramel, Toffee, Honey, Malt and Light Spices. It’ s quite sweet and smooth. A tad salty. Not earth-shocking but not bad either.

Finish: Short and Dry Speyside-type Finish with some Toffee, Oak and Floral notes. The Salt is still there as well.

I added a few drops of water that does nothing extra for the Nose but does enhance the Honey on the Palate and in the Finish. Just try it out.

Rating:  82

Nose: 20 – Taste: 21,5 – Finish: 20 – Overall: 20,5

General Remarks: This Blend was created in 1863 by Robert McNish. It consists of around 40 Malt and Grain-Whiskies from a.o. Highland and Speyside. The Brand is currently owned by MacDuff International, Glasgow. It’s not widely available around the world although it’s been produced constantly since 1863. It was a favorite of the well-known writer Ernest Hemingway. The bottle is quite old-fashioned.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay

Conclusion: This is one of those few occasions where I rate the Nose lower than the Palate. The Nose is really uneventful. Nothing to write home about. But on the Palate the Grand Macnish is very smooth and the Honey tone is very nice. The Finish is on the Short side. If you can get this Blend it will cost you around 35 Dollars, which is a good price for this Blend, especially when you like the combination of Speyside and Highland whiskies.

Jan van den Ende                                                                  June 2, 2012