Wemyss Spice King Review

“King For A Day”

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Wemyss Spice King

Bottler: Wemyss Malts, Edinburgh

Type: Blended Malt Whisky

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Amber 

Nose: Young, Sweet and Spicy. And, to my surprise, slightly Smoky. I find Bread Dough, Wet Earth, Straw, Nut Shells, Toffee, light Honey, Dried Fruit, Malt, Citrus Peel, Chili Pepper, Apple Vinegar, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Dried Herbs,  lightly Charred New Oak and some soft Mineral - and Maritime tones. I'm pretty sure there is Talisker in this Blend. The Alcohol is not fully integrated.

Palate: Slightly Thin on account of the weak ABV. Not too much going on here. I find Charred New Oak, Malt, Straw, Grass, Wet Earth, light Smoke, Lemon Peel, Toffee, Nuts, Nutmeg, Pepper and Cinnamon. The Palate would have greatly benefited from a higher ABV.

Finish: Middle-Long, Dry and Spicy with Malt, Nuts, Orange Peel, light Smoke, Charred Oak, Salty Licorice, Cinnamon, Pepper and Nutmeg.

I added some Water and found some slightly Sour Cooked Apples on the Nose. The Spices are mostly gone. Palate and Finish do not improve with Water. 

Rating: 82.5 

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5

I Bought this Miniature in the Dallas Dhu Shop. 

General Remarks: The Spice King is part of a new range by Wemyss of Edinburgh, next to Hive and Peat Chimney. Each represents one of the three main Scottish production areas, respectively Highlands, Speyside and Islay. The Spice King is a Blend of 16 Single Malts. The heart is formed by a Highland distillery but some Island Malt is used as well. By the way, Wemyss is the old Gaelic word for Caves. The Whiskies for the Wemyss Blends are chosen by a Panel, chaired by the well-known whisky writer Charles MacLean. The Spice King is usually sold at around 55 US Dollars. A cheaper 8 year version is also available. Wemyss did a very nice job on Packaging and Presentation!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good. 

Conclusion: After having tasted close to 400 different Blends and Single Malts from all over the world I have found that I like drinking a nice Blend on the Rocks but that I truly enjoy tasting a Single Malt. Of course this does not mean that you can't enjoy sipping a good Blend or drinking a good Single Malt all night long. But I hope you'll get the general picture. Blends are produced to please as much people as possible and most of the times this leads to a perfectly drinkable but slightly boring Spirit. A Single Malt, or, even better, a Single Cask possesses its own Character, Strength and Weaknesses. It's almost like comparing an imperfect but colourful human being to a perfect robot. Take the Wemyss Spice King for instance. It's certainly not a bad Blend and it's pleasant enough. And the Talisker Touch gives it a little extra Punch. Still, I have tasted it today and will have forgotten it by tomorrow. Truly a King for a Day.

Jan van den Ende                                                         October 16, 2014