Luke’s take:
Something that smells like soft new leather, tickles your tongue with spices and salted liquorice, and blankets the whole experience in a creamy velour? Yes, I want some!
With some a little water added, the creaminess comes through much more and smooths out some of the harsh edges. This is a fantastic every day whisky. Definitely one of my favourite blends.
I give it 4 out of 5.
Kev’s take:
OK so let’s be honest here. A blend like this is pretty much at the lowest end of the market and one would expect it to taste like cheap blends usually do. And yet I am happy to say that any expectations were not met and this contradicts the maxim “you get what you pay for” (wait, is that even a maxim? And what the heck is a maxim anyway?).
Upon taking a deep whiff of the whisky, there is a strong creamy smell but this only lasts until you introduce it your tastebuds. The cream then dissipates and there is a strong pepper taste. I should mention that of all the adjectives to describe this whiskey, smooth is not one of them. However, it really shine when you add some water when it becomes sweeter. It is definitely drinkable when you add some water.
It’s a good, down-to-earth blend that punches above it’s price range. I’d probably still prefer the Black Bottle blend which is a bit more expensive but failing that, I’d consider this when on a budget.
I give it 3 out of 5.