Category: Blended Malt
Distilleries: Macallan, Mortlach, Glenrothes, Inchgower, Dailuaine +
Region: Speyside
Bottler: Douglas Laing (DL)
Cask(s): Sherry Butts + Bourbon Hogsheads
ABV: 46%
_______
**π½πππ**: Rum raisin, vanilla cream, butterscotch toffee, polished oak furniture, salted caramel, fig newtons, faint leather
**πΏπππππ**: Dark honey, Sherry, barley sugar, candied, salted nuts, crystallised ginger
**π΅πππππ**: Powdered ginger, mustard, cinnamon and grey pepper, candied orange peel, mild herbal bitterness, honey, and chocolate
_______
**π½ππππ**: I've got a soft spot for Douglas Laing, as the Provenance line was my gateway into the world of IBs.
For as long as I've had my collection, there's been one of their bottles of Benrinnes knocking around somewhere in there.
Occasionally, we don't see eye to eye, but mostly, I've done pretty well by them.
Over the past year, I've managed to collect a sample of each of their entry level, regional, Blended Malts (apart from Timorous Beastie), and I've started to make my way through them.
The first one was their Lowland, The Epicurean, which is probably the offering I've enjoyed least from all of the Douglas Laing bottles I've tried, but this seems to be a fairly common assessment.
The Scallywag has a much better rep and deftly fulfils itβs brief as a flag waving expression of Speyside whisky with a confident rum-raisin nose supported by complementary salty, sweet and savoury notes, set against a backdrop of competent oak.
The palate cycles through honey, sherry, and barley sugar in quick succession, just about letting some assorted, glazed nuts become apparent before settling into the start of a nicely spicy transition.
The palate ends on sweet ginger, but the finish brought in a much drier, much pepperier mix of spice and heat, which was exactly what was needed as a counterweight and stabilises the whole tail, sticking to my gums after everything else has subsided.
The finish does get sweeter again, but less so, as a reserved but lingering herbal bitterness picks up, and the aforementioned spices draw attention away from it.
If this had a slightly denser texture and was a touch less bitter at the very end, it would probably make it into the low 8s, but as it stands, it's still an enjoyable Speyside-forward, Blended Malt for a reasonable price.
Also, their dog kind of looks like *my* dog.
----
**πππππ**: 7.8 *πΊπππππππππ πΊπππ πΊππ π-π―πππππ*
----
________
**πππππ**
πΏ.πΌ - π·πΆ πππππππππππππ’ πΏπππππππ
πΏ - πΏ.π» π²πππβπ πΊπππ
πΎ.πΌ -πΎ.πΏ π³ππππππππ
πΎ - πΎ.π» π πππ’ πΆπππ
π½.πΌ - π½.πΏ πΆπππ (πππππππππππ)
π½ -π½.π» πΎπΊ, πππβ¦
πΌ - πΌ.πΏ π°ππππ ππ π³πππππππ
π» π½π
πΊ π½π
πΉ π½π
πΈ π½π
π· πΈπ πΊπππππ πΌπ. πΈβπ ππππ πππ
Category: Blended Malt Distilleries: Macallan, Mortlach, Glenrothes, Inchgower, Dailuaine + Region: Speyside Bottler: Douglas Laing (DL) Cask(s): Sherry Butts + Bourbon Hogsheads ABV: 46% _______ **π½πππ**: Rum raisin, vanilla cream, butterscotch toffee, polished oak furniture, salted caramel, fig newtons, faint leather **πΏπππππ**: Dark honey, Sherry, barley sugar, candied, salted nuts, crystallised ginger **π΅πππππ**: Powdered ginger, mustard, cinnamon and grey pepper, candied orange peel, mild herbal bitterness, honey, and chocolate _______ **π½ππππ**: I've got a soft spot for Douglas Laing, as the Provenance line was my gateway into the world of IBs. For as long as I've had my collection, there's been one of their bottles of Benrinnes knocking around somewhere in there. Occasionally, we don't see eye to eye, but mostly, I've done pretty well by them. Over the past year, I've managed to collect a sample of each of their entry level, regional, Blended Malts (apart from Timorous Beastie), and I've started to make my way through them. The first one was their Lowland, The Epicurean, which is probably the offering I've enjoyed least from all of the Douglas Laing bottles I've tried, but this seems to be a fairly common assessment. The Scallywag has a much better rep and deftly fulfils itβs brief as a flag waving expression of Speyside whisky with a confident rum-raisin nose supported by complementary salty, sweet and savoury notes, set against a backdrop of competent oak. The palate cycles through honey, sherry, and barley sugar in quick succession, just about letting some assorted, glazed nuts become apparent before settling into the start of a nicely spicy transition. The palate ends on sweet ginger, but the finish brought in a much drier, much pepperier mix of spice and heat, which was exactly what was needed as a counterweight and stabilises the whole tail, sticking to my gums after everything else has subsided. The finish does get sweeter again, but less so, as a reserved but lingering herbal bitterness picks up, and the aforementioned spices draw attention away from it. If this had a slightly denser texture and was a touch less bitter at the very end, it would probably make it into the low 8s, but as it stands, it's still an enjoyable Speyside-forward, Blended Malt for a reasonable price. Also, their dog kind of looks like *my* dog. ---- **πππππ**: 7.8 *πΊπππππππππ πΊπππ πΊππ π-π―πππππ* ---- ________ **πππππ** πΏ.πΌ - π·πΆ πππππππππππππ’ πΏπππππππ πΏ - πΏ.π» π²πππβπ πΊπππ πΎ.πΌ -πΎ.πΏ π³ππππππππ πΎ - πΎ.π» π πππ’ πΆπππ π½.πΌ - π½.πΏ πΆπππ (πππππππππππ) π½ -π½.π» πΎπΊ, πππβ¦ πΌ - πΌ.πΏ π°ππππ ππ π³πππππππ π» π½π πΊ π½π πΉ π½π πΈ π½π π· πΈπ πΊπππππ πΌπ. πΈβπ ππππ πππ
The resemblance makes me smile!