Catto's Rare Old Blended Whisky Review

The Miniature I bought is exactly like the one on the right! 


“At 15 US Dollars this is No Catto in the Bag”

Country: Scotland 
Brand: Catto's (Rare Old Scottish Highland)
Produced by: James Catto & Co Ltd, Airdrie
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky 
Age: NAS (Probably 3-5 Years)
ABV: 40 %

Colour: Light Amber

Nose: Sharp Young Grain Alcohol, Toast and Margarine, Refill Oak, Nut Shells, Toasted Coconut, Straw, Cooked Vegetables, Lemon Juice, Orange Zest and a hint of Vanilla. At this price level I've encountered far worse stuff!


Palate: Mainly Sweet. The Alcohol stings a bit but within reason. I find lots of Grain Alcohol, some Malt, Nuts, light Honey, light Vanilla, Grass, Lemon and Spices.

Finish: Short, Sweet, Sharp and slightly Bitter towards the end with Sugar, light Vanilla, Pepper and Refill Oak.

Catto's becomes quite Thin when you add some Water but it also mellows down and you even get some light Fruity tones on the Palate. You can carefully experiment with a few drops. 

Rating: 70.5

Nose: 18.5 - Taste: 17.5 - Finish: 17 - Overall: 17.5

This is how Catto's looks today!

General Remarks: The Brand can be traced back to 1861 when James Catto started blending Highland Malt - and Lowland Grain Whiskies in Aberdeen. It's still around and is nicknamed "The Artisan Blend". Today the Blend is created by Catto's Master Blender Stuart Harvey. The heart of this Blend is formed by Single Malt Whisky from Balblair, Balmenach, Knockdhu, Pulteney & Speyburn.
In all this Blend is said to contain 18 Single Malt - and 3 Grain Whiskies. Catto also produces a 12 Years DeLuxe and a 25 Years. The Rare Old Blend that is produced today costs as little as 15 US Dollars, depending on where you live. The average price is 30 US Dollars. But bottles that were produced in the early 1970's are offered at prices of up to 170 US Dollars on the Internet. In 1990, Inver House Distillers bought the Brand Name but were not given the Recipe. This might explain the huge price difference between older - and more recent Catto's. I'm not sure when my Miniature was bottled but I must assume it was after 1990.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay given its low price.

Conclusion: Catto's Rare Old isn't Rare and isn't Old of course. It's a lot of cheap young Grain Whisky with a bit of Malt thrown in for old time's sake. Still, at 15 US Dollars, this is an acceptable Bottom Shelf Blend. It has all the main characteristics of a cheap Blend but shows just enough personality to justify its existence. And, and that's rare in this league, it accepts a few drops of added Water. Unlike many other cheap Blends, you can actually sip Catto's neat. You wont smell and taste Paradise of course but that can't be expected at this price level.

Jan van den Ende                                                             August 7, 2014

Strathisla 12 Years Review



“About Toffee, Perfume and Whisky”

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Strathisla
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 40 %

Strathisla in the Rain!
Colour: Copper

Nose: Sweet, Fruity, Malty and Floral with Barley, Warm Berries, Banana, Warm Apple Pie, Honey, Dried Fruit, Caramel, Nuts, Buttered Toast, Straw, Charred Oak, Sweet Sherry, Lemon Grass and hints of Smoke and Pralines filled with Cherry Liqueur. The Alcohol is nicely integrated. If anything, it's a bit on the heavy side. The Nose of the Strathisla 12 could do with a bit more balance.

Very Picturesque!

Palate: Sweet, Floral and Malty with Barley, Honey, Orange, Dried Apricot, Pear, Raspberry Jam, Toffee/Caramel, Nuts, Oak, Perfume, very light Spices, Sherry and Dried Fruits. Limited (Refill) Cask Influence. 

Wash Backs at Strathisla!

Finish: Almost a Spiced Toffee! Middle-Long and quite Sweet with Caramel, light Vanilla, Nuts, Sherry, Oak and Spices. 

The Stills at Strathisla!

With a couple of drops of water the Nose gets additional Flowery Notes and it's almost like a Perfume. More Malt and Fruit as well. The Palate gets more Floral notes. You could almost imagine selling this Strathisla as a lady's Perfume!

Rating: 83 

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

Spirit Safe at Strathisla!

General Remarks: The 12 Years is the basic Distillery expression and matured in a mix of Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry Casks. It's coloured with Caramel and Chill-Filtered. In 2013 the old packaging and bottle were replaced by a more modern looking ensemble. Personally I preferred the old bottle. At the same time the ABV was lowered from 43 to 40% and that's almost a crime in my book. There should be a law that would require an ABV of at least 43 but preferably 46% for any Single Malt. This Strathisla is usually sold at around 50 US Dollars.

Nice View from the Garden!

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: I haven't tasted the older 12 Years Expression unfortunately, so I can't make any comparison. But I'm sure the Palate would benefit from an ABV of 43% as it would guarantee a stronger arrival. The 12 Years I'm tasting today  is bottled at 40%. It's not a bad Single Malt but I find it to be on the Heavy Side. Too much Perfume and Toffee for my taste. I actually got a bit tired when tasting this. It's an intoxicating Spirit but not in a good way. I also feel that Wood Management did not get the highest attention. The Strathisla is highly drinkable but if you are a Chivas Fan I would stick with the 18 years!

The Royal Salute Vault at Strathisla!

Some Data: Strathisla means Valley of the River Isla. The Distillery is located at Seafield Avenue in the centre of the city of Keith, Banffshire. Strathisla is one of the oldest distilleries in the Highlands and when you arrive it's like you're going back to another place and time. Beautiful location as well!  It was founded in 1786 by Alexander Milne and George Taylor. Initially it was called Milltown and, later, Milton. Only in 1951 the name changed to Strathisla. Since 2001 it is fully owned by Pernod Ricard from France. The Distillery possesses a stainless steel Mash Tun, 10 Wash Backs (Oregon Pine) and 2 Pairs of Stills. In 2013 their production capacity amounted to around 2,4 million litres, sold as Single Malt but mostly as part of the Chivas Regal Blends.

The water for the distillery is sourced from the Fons Bulliens Well. The Distillery  opens from Monday - Saturday from 09.30 to 16.00 hours (Easter-October) and from Monday to Friday from 9.30 to 12.30 and 13.30 to 16.00 (November and December).  

Casks at Strathisla!

We visited Strathisla (The Heart of Chivas Regal) on Sunday May 25, 2014. Unfortunately it was a very rainy day again. First we had a look at the very nice Visitor Centre and the Shop. We then did the Standard Tour at 5 Pounds per person. The tour was okay. At the end of it we tasted the New Make Spirit, the Chivas Regal 12, Chivas Regal 18 and the Strathisla 12 Years in the cosy Dram Room.

Jan van den Ende                                                             August 3, 2014

Here's where the story ends!