Queen Anne Blended Scotch Whisky Review


Country: Scotland 
Brand: Queen Anne
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: NAS (At Least 3 Years)
ABV: 43%

Colour: Deep Gold/Copper

Nose: Despite the fact that this Queen Anne was bottled at least 30 years ago, it's unmistakably a young spirit. Lots of Grain, a bit of Malt, Dried Apricots, Nut-Casks, Brown Sugar, Buttered Toast, Citrus Peel and Oak. Some Fruit like Pear and Peach and hints of Honey, Straw and light Peat. Nothing to write home about but not bad either. 

Palate: Bitter-Sweet with Grain (Alcohol), Brown Sugar, Honey, Pepper, Licorice, Aniseed, Green Wood, Vanilla and light Peat.

Finish: Middle-Long and Bitter-Sweet with Brown Sugar, Honey, Oak, Licorice and Pepper.

I added a couple of drops of Water and the Fruity tones are slightly enhanced on the Nose. You also eliminate a bit of the Grain Alcohol. On the Palate and in the Finish, Grain becomes rather dominant. You can experiment with a few drops if you like!

Rating: 72.5

Nose: 19.5 - Taste: 17.5 - Finish: 17.5 - Overall: 18

Various Queen Anne Miniatures

General Remarks: The whisky I'm tasting today is part of a box containing six Blended Scotch Whisky samples produced somewhere between 1955 and 1980. They are all named after English and Scottish royalties. This box-set is sold by the Dutch based Rare Whisky Site (www.rarewhiskysite.com.) The Original Queen Anne is still for sale. There are versions from the Sixties, the Seventies and the Eighties but they are becoming quite rare and expensive at around 140, 170 and 380 US Dollars respectively. A new Queen Anne is also produced today, now by Seagram Distillers PLC. It costs around 45 US Dollars. The Blend Name was introduced to the market in 1884 by the House of Hill Thomson Edinburgh, a company founded in 1793 by William Hill. Nowadays, Hill Thomson elaborates a.o. the Blend Something Special. At the heart of both blends we find a.o. the Longmorn and Glen Moray Single Malts.

Drinking Experience Neat: Average/Good

Conclusion: Unfortunately I have no idea if the sample I tasted today was bottled in the 50's, 60's, 70's or 80's. I found some indications that the 43% ABV might have been bottled in the Seventies. This was the last Blend from the Kings and Queens Box-Set. Queen Anne is certainly not the worst of the lot. The Nose was okay for a Blend. Palate and Finish did not follow up as happens so often. Too much Grain and Green Wood. It was certainly interesting to try out a couple of these old Blends. However, none of them really convinced me and some of them were quite unpleasant to sip neat. Be sure to buy a sample first before paying almost certainly too much for a full bottle.

You're the Man for Queen Anne was one of the publicity slogans for the Queen Anne whisky in the 50's and 60's. Well Your Highness, I kinda liked your Nose but it was not enough to become your man!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      April 24, 2013

16 comments:

Whiskycuse said...

Hey Jan,
my grandma told me a few weeks ago (while we were talking about my whiskyblog, although she is 89 years old), that she loved to sip Queen Anne in the 70s and 80s. Maybe I should look out for a bottle (although its quite expensive).

Cheers Marcus

Jan van den Ende said...

It would be a very nice present for her Marcus. I think the Whisky Exchange and Masters of Malt both have it. It IS expensive though and the Blend is okay (good nose) but not more than that. Cheers to your Oma!

Anonymous said...

A bottle of Queen Anne appears in Agatha Christie's Poirot, Season 5, Episode 3, The Yellow Iris, presumable set sometime during the 1930s.

Jan van den Ende said...

Hi there, thanks for the info! Had no idea. The sample I tasted was most likely produced in the sixties but it's very difficult to ascertain when exactly this whisky was introduced for the first time.
Cheers!
Jan.

Anonymous said...

I have been gifted a 3.75cl bottle of Queen Anne rare Whisky and was wondering what its value might be. It has been stored in a closed cupboard since its purchase in the 70's. Any help with this would be appreciated.

Jan van den Ende said...

Hi there, I don't think it's very valuable (yet) as you can still buy whole bottles for around 200 US Dollars. Then again, you never know if a collector might be interested. Perhaps you could place it on E-Bay! Cheers and Good Luck!
Jan

Unknown said...

Not sure how it's actually that collectable. I bought 75cl bottle for £7.50 on a whisky auction site.

Jan van den Ende said...

Hi Matt, thanks for commenting. Do you have any idea when the bottle you bought was produced?
Thanks and Cheers!
Jan

Anonymous said...

I keep seeing this whiskey appear in episodes of Yes Minister, so I'll probably invest in a bottle soon. Thanks for the write up, Jan!

John (www.esotericsanonymous.com)

Jan van den Ende said...

Hey John, thanks for commenting. I remember Yes Minister from a long time ago when I was still living in Holland! I'm desperately trying to get a sample of the "new" Queen Anne but no luck so far.
Cheers!
Jan

Anonymous said...

Jerry Leadbetter in Good Neighbours (The Good Life) sips Queen Anne, at least in series 4. Therefore, it must be respectable or Margo wouldn't allow it in the house, let alone on the avenue!

Jan van den Ende said...

Hi there, a pity you didn't leave your name. I know the series but I never actually saw an episode. So it's difficult to day exactly what Queen Anne whisky Jerry was sipping. The old (that I reviewed) or, most likely, the more recent version. I'm trying my best to get a sample of the new Queen Anne but so far no luck! Cheers!
Jan

Dellos said...

I had two glasses at my local dinner the place opened in 1974, I was the only person in years to ask for a glass,so after reading about here about it had two glasses. a very smooth drink. there is enought in the bottle for 8 more glasses than it is done never to be seen in these parts again

Jan van den Ende said...

Hi Dellos, thanks for commenting. Very nice that you found such an old bottle at your local dinner. Must have been there a while! Maybe you could take a picture of the bottle and post it here. Would be great! Cheers!
Jan

Dellos said...

I took a walk dowb to the local dinner and a couple of glasses of this fine sipping whiskey

Jan van den Ende said...

Cheers Dellos! Did you manage to take a picture?
Have a Nice Weekend!
Jan