Showing posts with label Grant's Triple Wood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grant's Triple Wood. Show all posts

Grant's Triple Wood


“Mixed Emotions”


Whisky Review # 984

Country: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Bottled and Produced By: William Grant & Sons Distillers Ltd., Dufftown
Brand: Grant's Triple Wood
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Bottling Serie: Stand Fast
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: Mix of American Oak, Virgin Oak and Bourbon Re-Fill Casks
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 10-15 (March 2023)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👍 It's quite cheap indeed
Buying Advice: 😐 Not good enough for sipping but okay on the Rocks or mixed

Colour: Golden with shades of Orange (Artificially Colored)

Nose:

The typical Sweet smell of relatively cheap Blended Whisky. It's driven by Grain Alcohol, Caramel and musty Re-Fill casks. It's on the Thin side, Young and slightly Hot. Cheap Slivovitz come to mind.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Grain Alcohol, Toast and Margarine, Caramel, Toffee, Straw, Musty Casks & Sawdust, Artificially-Flavored Candies (Green Apple, Cherry, Orange & Pineapple), Pepper, Menthol and Cinnamon.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Mixed Dried Fruit and Nuts (Sultanas, Raisins, Walnuts), Cooked Vegetables, Compost, Insect Killer with Lemon Aroma, Nutmeg and Charred Oak.

Girvan Grain Distillery

Palate:

Young, Thin and a little Sharp. A mix of Sweet and Bitter notes with a pinch of Salt for good measure. This is Whisky for drinking and not for sipping.

Main Flavours:

Grain Alcohol, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Artificially-Flavored Candies (See Nose), Oak Char and Sawdust, Pepper, Menthol, Nutmeg and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Honey, Brown Sugar, Banana, Lemon, Dried Herbs, Sultanas, Slivovitz, White Chocolate, Earth, Tobacco and Cinnamon.

Kininvie Distillery
Finish:

Thin, Short and a little Hot. Sugary Sweet at first but with a light Bitterness towards the Medium-Dry end. I find Grain Alcohol, Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Toffee, Sugar, Marshmallow, Honey, Artificially-flavored Candies (See Nose), Musty Casks and Char, Earth, Straw, Sultanas, Slivovitz, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon and Nutmeg. Very faint hint of Horse Saddles. 

Drinking Advice:

Added Water kills this Blend. The best way to enjoy this Blend is on the Rocks or as a basis for a mixed drink, for instance with Coca Cola.

Rating: 5.5 (*****1/2)

Nose: 6 - Taste: 5.5 - Finish: 5

*** Important Note with respect to Rating.

A few of my loyal readers have pointed out that every once in a while my final Rating note did not seem to be totally in line with the written text. I recognize that. When I started this Whisky Blog back in 2011, I was not at all experienced in tasting and scoring Single Malts & Blends. Looking back I realize that during the early years I probably scored the good Whiskies too low and the not so good Whiskies too high. Ever since the beginning I try to remain consequent in my rating, always comparing the outcome to the rating of comparable whiskies in terms of quality and taste and adjusting the final rating if necessary. This might lead to the discrepancy I mentioned before. As a result I have decided to use a new rating system this year. I will still give a rating for Nose, Taste and Finish but now on the scale from 1-10 whereby 1 represents the worst and 10 the best. The sum of these numbers will be divided by 3 to get the rounded final score. I hope this new scoring makes it easier for you to understand what I thought about the whisky I'm reviewing.

If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink. Please let me know what you think of the new rating system and leave your comments and/or suggestions.

Drinking Experience Neat
: Marginally Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay/Good, albeit a little Thin.

Conclusion:

This Triple Wood replaces the Family Reserve as Grant's main Blended Whisky. The Blend most likely contains Girvan Grain Whisky and Malt Whisky from Glenfiddich, Kininvie and perhaps a drop of Balvenie.

I have tasted lots of cheap Blends in the meantime and this is certainly not the worst one. But it's still Young, Thin, Hot and without convincing Aromas & Flavors. Therefore it's not good enough as a sipping whisky but it's not bad on the Rocks or in mixed drinks. I prefer this Grant's over JW Red.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                        March 29, 2023

Glenfiddich Distillery