“Who Let The Dogs
Out”
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Scallywag (Small Batch)
Bottled by/for: Douglas Laing, Glasgow
Type: Blended Malt Whisky
Age: NAS
ABV: 46%
Colour: Golden Amber (Natural Colour)
Nose: The Sherry influence is there but it's a bit Dusty and Tired, almost Stale.
I suspect that many older Refill casks went in the mix. I also believe that the heart of this Blend is formed by Glenrothes. On the Nose, this Scallywagg is mostly Sweet although it's got some Sour, Herbal, Spicy and Metallic notes as well. I find Sugared Breakfast Cereals, Toast with Margarine, Toasted Barley, Nuts, Straw, Toffee, Vanilla, Treacle, Dried Fruit, Overripe Apple, Citrus, Cherry Flavoured Candies, Floral tones, Chocolate, Tobacco, Dusty Road, Ginger, light Pepper, Cinnamon and other Christmas Spices. The Spirit is still Young and the Alcohol is not fully integrated. After a while I get some Heather-Honey as well. It's not bad but it's a bit of a mixed bag without sufficient balance.
Palate: Malty and Quite Spicy. Much more so than the Nose would want you to believe. Less Sweet as well and a bit Sour. It's a Scallywag indeed! I find Toffee, Toasted Barley, Caramel, Dried Fruits (Raisins), Vanilla, Refill Oak, Orange Peel, Tobacco, Dried Herbs, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Apple Sauce, Cherry Flavoured Candies and Chocolate.
Finish: Short, Bitter-Sweet, Spicy, Herbal and slightly Sour. I find Sugared Cereals, Malt, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Green Apple, Tobacco, Licorice, Menthol, Charred Refill Oak, Alcohol, Pepper, Ginger, Cardamom, Herbal Tea, Citrus Peel, Nuts and Dark Chocolate. A bit Edgy and Dry towards the end.
I added a bit of Water but the Scallywag Small Batch does not improve that way. It's a bit more Floral on the Nose and with some extra (Wood) Spice on the Palate.
Rating: 80.5
Nose: 20 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20
Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good
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Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Scallywag Cask Strength (Limited Edition # 1)
Bottled by/for: Douglas Laing, Glasgow
Type: Blended Malt Whisky
Age: NAS
ABV: 53.6%
Colour: Dark Gold (Natural Colour)
Nose: Although the Nose of the CS is not significantly different from the Small Batch it does become clear that selected casks were used for this quite Limited Edition. The Sherry notes are once again clear but this time with less Sour notes. And no Metals around. Glenrothes still dominates with its Nutty and Spicy character. I find Buttered Toast with Peach Marmalade, Toasted Barley, Nuts, Straw, Caramel, Vanilla, Marzipan, Espresso, Dried Fruit, Honey, Orange, Cherry Flavoured Candies, Floral tones, Milk Chocolate, Tobacco, Salt, Ginger, Nutmeg, Pepper, Cinnamon and Cloves. The Spirit is still Young and the Alcohol is not fully integrated. Despite this, the CS leaves a more balanced impression than the Small Batch.
Palate: Sherry and Spices. The Macallan makes itself known. Again, the heavy Spices come as a surprise after the Nose. I find Toasted Barley, Roasted Nuts, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Apple Sauce, Chocolate, Dried Herbs, Oak, Alcohol, Orange Peel, Cinnamon, Pepper, Nutmeg and Cardamom.
Finish: Middle-Long, Bitter-Sweet, Spicy, Herbal and slightly Sour. I find Cereals, Malt, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Dried Fruit, Green Apple, Tobacco, Chocolate, Licorice, Menthol, Charred Refill Oak, Alcohol, Pepper, Ginger, Cardamom, Dried Herbs, Citrus Peel, Marzipan and Dark Chocolate.
I added a bit of Water and you get more Tobacco and Spices on the Nose. Almost like an After Shave with those characteristics. The Palate and Finish become Sweeter and the Chocolate notes become stronger. There is certainly room to play with a bit of Water.
Rating: 84
Nose: 21 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21
General Remarks: The name of this Blended Malt was inspired by the long line of Fox Terriers owned by the Laing family through the years. Fox Terriers are known for being Sweet and Mischievous at the same time. It was launched in 2013 and forms part of a series of four called Remarkable Regional Malts that covers the Highlands (Timorous Beastie), Speyside (Scallywag), Islay (Big Peat) and the Islands (Rock Oyster). The Scallywag CS was launched as a Limited Edition in 2015. Only 6000 bottles went to the market. It is not Chill-Filtered and contains Single Malt from a/o Glenrothes, Macallan and Mortlach. It matured in a mix of Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogsheads and Refill Ex-Sherry Butts. It sells at an average 70 US Dollars (February 2016).
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: The presentation of the Scallywag is certainly original. It's funny to see that the Fox Terrier on the CS Packaging has wide open eyes and looks more confident than the one pictured on the Box and Bottle of the Small Batch. That surely is representative for the two Blended Malts. The CS is stronger and more balanced than the Small Batch and has less Off-Notes. It's clear to me that selected casks were used to compose the CS. When compared Head-to-Head, the CS is the clear winner although it's quite expensive for such a young Whisky. The main difference is that the Small Batch comes close to being a young Glenrothes in disguise that matured in indifferent Refill Casks. The CS clearly benefits from being composed of selected casks. It makes this Blend more balanced and gives the Macallan more room to shine. So despite the price difference my advice is to stick with the CS if you can afford it and leave the Small Batch alone.
Jan van den Ende February 14, 2016
