“A Missed Opportunity”
Country: Scotland/Canada/USA
Brand: Huxley Rare Genus Whiskey
Type: Blended Whisky/Whiskey
Age: NAS
Age: NAS
ABV: 42%
Chill-Filtration: Yes
Whisky Review # 601
Buying Advice:😑 Indifferent. It's not expensive but it's boring and without any Wow factor.
Palate: Slightly Thin and Harsh Delivery. On the Palate, the Huxley is Sugary Sweet with some Bitter, Spicy and Herbal elements. I find Toasted Cereals, Toast, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Toffee, Lemon, Grapefruit, Refill Oak, Sultanas, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cinnamon, Dried Herbs and a hint of Bananas.
Chill-Filtration: Yes
Whisky Review # 601
Buying Advice:😑 Indifferent. It's not expensive but it's boring and without any Wow factor.
Colour: Amber (Artificially Coloured)
Nose: Young distillate. The Grain Alcohol is quite noticeable. Still, I have Nosed worse Whisky at this price level. Cereals, Hay and Toffee are the main drivers. I also find Buttered Toast, Yeast, Vanilla, Caramel, Wood Chips, Refill Oak, Dried Fruit (like Apples, Plums and Raisins), light Citrus, light Cinnamon, Mint, Resin and a very faint hint of Horse Saddles. It's not really bad but rather boring. I kind of expected more from this interesting experiment.
Palate: Slightly Thin and Harsh Delivery. On the Palate, the Huxley is Sugary Sweet with some Bitter, Spicy and Herbal elements. I find Toasted Cereals, Toast, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Toffee, Lemon, Grapefruit, Refill Oak, Sultanas, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cinnamon, Dried Herbs and a hint of Bananas.
Finish: Short, Spicy and Hot with Toasted Cereals, Toast, Toffee, Brown Sugar, Caramel, light Vanilla light Salty Licorice, Ginger, Pepper, Nutmeg, Lemon Juice, Grapefruit Juice, light Cinnamon and a faint hint of Burned Bananas.
Rating: 76
The Huxley does not improve with added Water except for the fact that you take out a bit of the Harsh Alcohol. It does get very Thin though.
Rating: 76
Nose: 20 - Taste: 19 - Finish: 18.8 - Overall: 18.5
General Remarks:
After Boxing Hares and Smoky Goat, Diageo's Whisky Union Team launched the Huxley Rare Genus Whiskey in July 2016. All three of these experimental Whiskies were designed to invite the consumers to "uncharted territory". This latest expression is named in honour of T.H. Huxley, a 19th century anatomist. The label features a "Mobsprey", a mythical hybrid beast that is part Moose, part Osprey and part Bobcat. This makes sense as the Huxley is a combination of Whisky/Whiskey from Scotland, Canada and the USA. The Scottish part in the mix contains both Malt - and Grain Whisky. The Huxley was primarily released in Austria and Germany to test the market. In the meantime it's available elsewhere as well. Prices are usually in the 25 to 30 US Dollar range (March 2017).
Drinking Experience Neat: Okay but no more than that!
General Remarks:
After Boxing Hares and Smoky Goat, Diageo's Whisky Union Team launched the Huxley Rare Genus Whiskey in July 2016. All three of these experimental Whiskies were designed to invite the consumers to "uncharted territory". This latest expression is named in honour of T.H. Huxley, a 19th century anatomist. The label features a "Mobsprey", a mythical hybrid beast that is part Moose, part Osprey and part Bobcat. This makes sense as the Huxley is a combination of Whisky/Whiskey from Scotland, Canada and the USA. The Scottish part in the mix contains both Malt - and Grain Whisky. The Huxley was primarily released in Austria and Germany to test the market. In the meantime it's available elsewhere as well. Prices are usually in the 25 to 30 US Dollar range (March 2017).
Drinking Experience Neat: Okay but no more than that!
Conclusion: On paper, the Huxley experiment sounds interesting enough. Indeed I believe it's the first time that somebody officially mixed some Scottish, Canadian and American Whisk(e)y and brought it to the market. Full kudos for the initiative! But the makers also wanted to keep the price as low as possible. And a quality Whisky at a low price is impossible considering today's market circumstances. The Huxley clearly shows this dilemma. I mainly detect Scottish Grain Alcohol and Canadian Whisky. It's almost impossible to clearly identify Malt Whisky and Bourbon. And the Refill ex-Bourbon casks used are of indifferent quality. The end result is not really bad but extremely boring, slightly harsh and overall disappointing. In my opinion, Diageo should review this idea and experiment with better ingredients and active casks. As it stands, Huxley is a good idea but also a missed opportunity!
Jan van den Ende March 13, 2017
