Sir Edward's Blended Scotch Review

“Living on the Edge”

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Sir Edward's Rare Blend

Bottler: Bardinet Group, Bordeaux

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS 

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Amber 

Nose: Light, slightly Sharp and Edgy with Refill Oak, Grain Alcohol, Nut Shells, Cereals, Straw, Sugar, light Citrus, Toast with Margarine and hints of Malt, Dirt Road, Banana Bread and Honey. There's not much going on here but at this Price Level I have nosed worse whiskies.

Palate: Rough, a little Hot, Sugary Sweet and Watery. I find Sugared Grains, Refill Oak, Grain Alcohol, Ultralight Vanilla, Cough Syrup, Pepper, Licorice and hints of Malt and Citrus.

Finish: Short, Rough and Sweet with Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Licorice, Refill Oak, Pepper and Wood Spice. 

Don't add Water to this Blend. You will ruin it completely.

Rating: 70 

Nose: 18 - Taste: 17.5 - Finish: 17 - Overall: 17.5

"Living on the Edge" - Photo Credit: Pat Cegan

General Remarks: It’s not easy to find a lot of information about this Blend. It has a brother or sister that’s called Glen Edward’s, but that’s a Blend of Malt   Whiskies that I reviewed before. Owner of the Brand name is the French based Bardinet Group who also owns Glen Moray. This might give us an indication as to the Edward’s core Malt ingredient. It ages in Oak Barrels. Wow! Ah yes, the son of the owner of the Bardinet group, the late Paul Bardinet, is indeed called Edward! The whisky is apparently distilled by Leith Distillers from Edinburgh, a daughter company of Whyte and Mackay. It is then shipped in bulk to France where it is bottled in Bordeaux by Bardinet. I bought my Sir Edward's miniature (same label as Glen Edward’s by the way) in the Gordon & MacPhail shop in Elgin. The label states that the whisky is aged and distilled in Scotland. There is also a 12 Years Expression of Sir Edward's on the market but I haven't come across it as yet. Sir Edward's Rare Blend is quite cheap at an average 15 US Dollars per bottle.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average.

Conclusion: It's of course impossible to spend 15 US Dollars for a bottle of Sir Edward's Rare Blended Scotch Whisky and expect to enter the Gates of Heaven.

Because you don't! But I must admit I have nosed and even tasted far worse stuff at this Price Level. The Nose is certainly not obnoxious. It's very simple of course and shows all the well-known characteristics of a bottom shelf Blend. It's Edgy, Sugary and Grainy. It's on the Palate however that you will find that it's easier to compare Sir Edward's to cheap Vodka and Gin than to Whisky. Why? Because it simply lacks sufficient Flavours. I scored it exactly at 70 Points to make it clear that this Blend lives on the Edge between what I consider to be Whisky and what is pure Alcohol. I do not recommend this to people who like Whisky. But if your maximum budget for a bottle of booze is 15 US Dollars, you might consider Sir Edward. Although I still think it's better to buy a standard Bourbon for that price!

Jan van den Ende                                                               December 4, 2014

Johnnie Walker The Gold Route Review

“Not All That Glitters Is Gold”

Country: Scotland

Brand: Johnnie Walker The Gold Route (Explorer's Club Collection)

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40%

Colour: Sundown/Golden Amber

Nose: I must admit I had expected more of the Gold Route. It's a Medium Light Nose with Grains, Alcohol, Light & Sweet Coastal Peat, light Cold Smoke, lightly Charred Oak, Dried Fruits, Nuts, light Spice, Toast, Ripe Bananas, light Citrus, light Honey, light Pineapple, Strawberry Yogurt, light Vanilla and a very distant hint of Raw Meat. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. 

Taste: Sweet but a bit Thin with Grain Alcohol, lightly Charred Oak, light Peat, Dried Fruit, Orange, Caramel, Licorice, Pepper, Mint and Lemon Zest.

Finish: Medium Long and slightly Thin with Grain, Alcohol, Light Earthy Peat, very light Smoke, Lemon, Pepper, Wood, Mint, Aniseed and light Licorice.  

I added a little Water and you get more Fruit on the Nose, mostly Pineapple and perhaps a bit of Mango. A little bit more Smoke and Toast as well. But Palate and Finish do not take the added Water very well. It's already on the Thin side as it comes.

Rating: 80

Nose: 20.5 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 19.5 – Overall: 20

General Remarks: The Johnnie Walker Brand is owned since 1997 by the Diageo Group. The Explorer's Club Collection is exclusively sold via Travel Retail and was introduced during 2012 and 2013 to honour the Johnnie Walker Whisky Traders who have always travelled the whole wide world in search of new adventures, experiences, flavours and aromas. The Trade Routes series include The Spice Road, The Gold Route and The Royal Route. Diageo's Master Blenders have tried to create Blends that reflect those voyages, stories and regions. The Gold Route I am reviewing today is inspired by the diverse Aromas and Colours from Latin America. The Gold Route weaves its way from Central America through the Andes, passing the Inca Pyramids and along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The whiskies used in this blend matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks. It costs on average 90 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good 

Conclusion: Let me start by saying that the Gold Route is not a bad blend. But at its Price Level I had expected a lot more. For a luxury Blend it's too Young and too Grainy. I don't get many tropical flavours as well. Bananas and some Pineapple basically. I do like the Peat and Smoke in the Blend. It's there in the background all the time without ever being too present. Well done! And yes, I'm going to say it again. A luxury Blend like this NEEDS to be bottled at least at 43%. There's more than enough margin in the price to do that! I also tasted the Gold Route on the rocks and I liked it. But JW Black does that trick as well if you like smoky Blends and its Price/Quality ratio is much better! I truly admire the Marketing Qualities of the JW Blends. The idea to combine the Explorers Collection and Travel Retail is good and the presentation and packaging are absolutely beautiful. But in the end it's the Whisky that matters and in this respect The Gold Route fails to impress me, especially at its current price level.

Jan van den Ende                                                         November 16, 2014

Campbeltown Loch Blended Scotch Review

“A Blend Worth Looking For”

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Campbeltown Loch

Produced by: Springbank Distillers Ltd, Campbeltown

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky 

Age: NAS (Said To Be 5 Years Old)

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Pale Gold, White Wine

Nose: It's Light but certainly not unpleasant considering the price. I find some Sweet Peat, light Smoke, Brine, Salt, Cereals, Grain Alcohol, Vanilla, Toffee, Banana - and Apricot Flavoured Candies, Grass, Refill Ex-Bourbon Casks and traces of Leather, Espresso Coffee and Cinnamon. It's a bit too Light for my liking and the Alcohol is not integrated. But other than that it's quite okay when considering the price.

Palate: Thin Delivery. The slightly weaker part of this Blend as far as I'm concerned. I find Sweet Grains, Corn Syrup, Earthy Peat, light Smoke, light Caramel, New Make Spirit, light Vanilla, light Banana, light Herbs, Pepper, Salt, Clove, Licorice and a hint of Rubber.

Finish: Middle-Long with Sweet Peat, light Smoke, Cereals, Citrus, Pepper, Oak, Licorice (quite a bit), Salt, Caramel and Alcohol. Nothing to get excited about but not bad in its category.

I added a bit of Water and on the Nose, the Oak and Grains start to dominate. Palate and Finish do not benefit from added Water either. Better sip it neat. 

Rating: 84

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21

General Remarks: The Springbank Distillery is one of the very few remaining producers of Campbeltown Single Malt. It's owned by J & A Mitchell & Co. Ltd. and produces three types of Whisky namely Springbank, that is distilled 2,5 times, the peated Longrow that is distilled twice and the unpeated and triple-distilled Hazelburn. Most of the Spirit is sold as Single Malt but a small quantity is reserved for the House Blends Campbeltown Loch (5 Years) and Mitchell's (12 Years). The Campbeltown Loch I'm tasting today is made of 40% Single Malt (Mainly Springbank and Longrow) and 60% Grain Whiskies. It costs an average 30 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is a Cheap Blended Whisky that is good enough to sip. There is nothing really special going on but it's utterly drinkable. I like the Nose. Nice interplay between Sweet Candy and Medium Peat. The Grain Alcohol does not bother me that much as it does in the majority of Blends in this category. This spirit really deserves more (quality) cask time. The Palate does not convince me in the same way. No Off-Notes here but it's all a bit too Thin for my taste. The Finish is not bad and invites you to have another sip. It's very drinkable to the point that you need to remind yourself that this is Whisky with an ABV of 40%. I think it's a pity that this Blend is not more widely available and at this price level you should certainly give it a try when you find it somewhere. 

Jan van den Ende                                                      September 11, 2014

Campbeltown and the Log