Good honest review as always Shane. I was not blown away when I first opened the bottle but as I’ve had more drams I’ve found it has really opened up and improved a lot. I purchased it mainly because of the Ardnamurchan link and am not disappointed. In this crazy world of ever increasing prices for malt whisky it’s just refreshing to buy a high level malt content and well presented blend for around £30 (……and Ralfy’s whisky of the year !)
I think many, many bottles were sold off of that Ardnamurchan link. I agree that the presentation alone justifies the price. If only they'd state it on the label!! Cheers 🥃
Hello Shane! We don’t chill filter or colour our whiskies whatsoever. 👍 Full disclosure - we just missed it on the first label run, oops. 😬 🙊 🤣 New label for next batch has been fixed and is going out to shops as we speak. Cheers, Connal
Hi Connal! Thanks for confirming and more importantly thank you for committing to it on the label. Keep up the good work with the honest whisky and excellent transparency. Cheers 🥃
Great review Shane! I bought a bottle of this, and it is good for the price, but I won't be rushing out to buy backups or replace the bottle. I think the addition of grain whisky detracts from it. I picked up the MacNair's Lum Reek NAS for the same price and the Loch Lomond 12 on special for a couple of dollars more. Also picked up three Wemyss 46% blends, Spice King, Peat Chimney and The Hive, on special for around the same price. All of these I think are better than MacLean's Nose and I think that is due to the grain whisky content. By the way, it was your review of the Spice King 12 that put me on to Wemyss. Cheers!
Great review, & well described. Funny you mentioned the Kilhoman, I thought the same. I refer to it as a 'juicy' peat ( reminds me of juicy fruit chewing gum). I really like this one & will be a repeat purchase. Generally though I dont mind a blend if I like it, I do like the Compass box blends.
I purchased a bottle in Oban (£29) along my last trip in Scotland From my point of vue it’s a really good whisky and a very good quality value price In my country 🇧🇪 it’s not easy to find a bottle ... so I jumped on it and happy ... I bought a bottle the last weekend in London (£33) 😊 so now I can share more with the Belgian (Menno @maltymission and the few Belgian barflies )
It is very fairly and realistically priced. They could've probably added £10 to their price and not raised too many eyebrows thanks to Adelphi's good rep. Cheers to you and the Belgian Bar Flies 🥃
I think you've been honest and analytical in this review, Shane. Yes, it's a competently made blended Scotch whisky and it's nice to see such a thing bottled at 46% abv. Well done, Adelphi. Yet I find myself reaching past this bottle when thinking of a starter for a flight. There were some quality core range single malts with age statements on the market at Christmas time for less than the price of the "Nose" which provide me with much more bang for my buck and which keep me going back to when I want to start an evening's flight. In contrast, I'm simply not inspired by the taste of the "Nose." Like you, I hope future batches of this blend will provide some flavour which is not quite so predictable as that of the first iteration. Oh, and after all the talk of the importance of producing whisky which is non-chill filtered and contains no artificial colouring, then, yes, why on earth is such information not on the label? Beggars belief. Cheers.
I found it a nice change of pace but not something that I found myself reaching for either. And I think that's a large part of why it's not going to be a regular buy for me. I got my money's worth and now I'm moving on. And that's OK. Very hard to believe that Adelphi didn't put those important guarantees on the label though. The kind of shenanigans that we expect from lesser distilleries. Cheers 🥃
Thanks for this review. It is pretty much in line with my judgement after finishing the bottle. Will buy smothering, if the recipe may change but Dienste not abmisst replacement. I do enjoy the Campbeltown Loch (yes its a blended malt) much more though.
I enjoyed Cambeltown Loch a lot more too. I think the juicy, malty blended malts are really where it's at when venturing away from single malt. Generally a much better experience and some can be VERY cheap and great value 👍
I bought a bottle after Ralfs review. Really enjoying it. It’s good whiskey for a good price. It wouldn’t stand up against some more expensive whisky but can’t beat it for the cost… well… perhaps Arran 10.
Hi Shane I have been looking at getting a bottle of this whiskey, but I think I will be buying a bottle of compass box orchard house again, I really find it a good blinded whiskey, my current store has sold out and I'm waiting for them to restock it again. Cheers Sir and thanks for the great review on this blended whisky !!!
Dear Shane, I have e tried this whisky and I did enjoy it. In Italy, the Ardnamurchan Sherry Cask and their Ad09/22 are still fairly priced and thus I will wait to pick this up and enjoy the two former bottles. Your review is excellent and rich in details, I am grateful. Well done 👍 ciao 👋 S.
Great review Shane! I didn’t live this “in demand” whisky but I know many people did! It may get better as it opens up more. Love your thoughts! Cheers!
Thanks for that Shane. I tasted it at a whisky show, just after trying the Paul Launois finished Ardnamurchan, so it was harder to connect with then it might have been. Might pick one up now though as a no regrets whisky. On your point about Glendronach and chill filtration, just read an interesting article on dramface where they reached out to someone who worked there. Seems like it might be more nuanced than we thought…
I still haven't tried any of the Ardnamurchan Paul Launois but I've heard very good things and must've been a hard act to follow! You're right, there is much more to the Glendronach NCF thing than meets the eye. It's not a case of Glendro deciding overnight to turn evil. But it still highlights the importance of declaring NCF and NC on the label. It's because Glendro were honest enough to state it in the past that the whole thing was brought to our attention. And if Glendro truly cared they could've dropped all chill filtration when the issue was raised and kept the statement. Sadly they made the wrong choice. It shows the importance of those guarantees on the label though. Those statements show that a distillery holds itself to high standards and is committed to honesty.
Thank you Shane! You and Geoff made my mind up for me. I have not tried it but the hype was so much I started imagining something amazing, alas it's a blended Scotch, a good quality one but a blended none the less. Yes we shouldn't be snobs about blends and I certainly reach for some JW or Cutty Sark products when I just want a simple dram but the complexity and full flavoured feel you want from malts, you won't get in them. This is why we watch these videos to get more and more informed about everything being released which could be overwhelming at times. Cheers Shane!
Thanks for the shoutout at the end! Good things come for those who wait 😅till the end. Great review as always Shane… thorough and objective. Enjoyable… especially for the price but like you I’m not running out to get multiple backups. Looking forward to their age statements in time. Cheers 🥃😇
You're welcome John and thanks for your review that helped me decide on whether or not I wanted to take the plunge on this one and what to expect 👍 Cheers 🥃
Cheers for the critical review. I skipped this for similar reservations. I don’t know if it’s me, but I don’t quite get why certain things are being hyped as much as they are in the whisky bubble lately. I tried the Thompson Bros SRV5 and was really unimpressed. I’d take the Spice King 12 you put on my radar every time over it. What good is a decent price and the craftiest craft presentation if it doesn’t taste good? Sometimes I wonder if price and presentation are overemphasized because they are ‘objective’ markers of quality vs the more difficult taste. And if these new players get a bonus for being new and small, but surely their whisky needs to be competitive where it counts, in the glass? Regarding ‘premium blends’: I bought the Murray McDavid Rebel's Reserve Madeira & Red Wine Cask 12, which is 50% malt and 50% grain. And half the grain is even 35 years old! My fault, I know. A valuable lesson: I hate it and gave it away. I’m going to keep away from Madeira and red wine casks for now. I paid around 40 Euros for it, which made it initially interesting. Another discussion for another day, Murray McDavid is going into cask finishing overdrive at all price points which is a direction of the whisky market I could really do without. Who was waiting for a NAS Dailuaine finished in a bourbon quarter cask? Non-chill filtered and natural color and cheap though! If only it was 46% instead of 44.5% everything would be great. Sorry, didn’t realize I had a whole rant pent up!
We are all entitled to the occasional rant 😁 I love hearing that people are enjoying Spice King, especially after hearing about it from me 👍 I miss that one and need another bottle. There's definitely a lot of bandwagoning around certain craft brands. Which is understandable. But we all need to stay objective, which it sounds like you are. I'm not normally crazy about cask finishes either. Been bitten too many times and I generally avoid it. Especially when it's combined with a high price! I am really enjoying the Murray McDavid Tullibardine Sherry Cask Craft that I had in the advent calendar though. Nice sherry that doesn't take over and a nice price. Agree that 46% would be nice... Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock Thanks for letting me rant! I've gone through 2 bottles of the Spice King 12 and am keeping a third in the stash as local supply has finally run out. I picked up a bottle of the Speyburn 18 based on this year's calendar and its pretty good! I really prefer the Ancnoc 18, have you tried it? Looking forward to the Clairin reviews by the way! I bought a Vaval and opened it but shelved it for now as it was just more olive than I could handle in that moment. I'm instead exploring Mezcal on the side and having a great time! Would be curious to hear your take on a Mezcal at some point! Cheers!
@@1jaasuh I haven't bought any unpeated Ancnoc for years to be honest. I will look for the 18. Vaval is an excellent one for the adventurous IMHO. It's probably my favourite clairin. As with most clairin, it is charmingly weird though. I find Sajous and Casimir a little tamer (but still great) but yes persevere with the Vaval at a later date. I love Mezcal. I believe I have reviewed one (Ilegal) and intend to review more. I nearly bought a bottle of Enmascarado recently. I really enjoyed that last time I had it. And most of the small batch stuff is great if you can find it. Cheers 🥃
Thanks for the great review and, as always, for the fantastic deadpan humour you pepper throughout your videos. The points you raise around blends in general are interesting and certainly got me thinking. I understand where your comment regarding the identity crisis comes from, maybe I am a bit more optimistic. There is certainly a state of change in this space and for me, products like Maclean's Nose, TB/BSW, and the Compass Box blends are both a step in the right direction for blends and competitive vs similarly priced single malts, at least in my market (Italy). Haven't seen any of the black Bottle Alchemist series around here, but I now want to grab one if I can find it!
Thank you for the kind words. Agreed that some blends are going in the right direction. Blended malts in particular can be fantastic, interesting in ways that single malt struggles to do AND great value. Cheers 🥃
A sublime blended scotch - $32 usd - very competent - an absolute BUY! Label has been changed and reflects NCF/ NCA-- it's small but noted for those that look!
Thanks Geoff. I'm prepared for some pushback on this review so I'm glad it's not just me. It's quality stuff as you say and fairly priced but nothing to get too excited about. Cheers 🥃
I have to day it’s really nice. A step above your typical supermarket deal here in UK at least. A quality blend at sub 35 quid. Everyone should have one if they can find one.
That's a good point. It knocks the socks off any supermarket blend. And thinking about it, the price isn't that much higher than what they're asking for JW Black when not on discount. Cheers 🥃
Absolutely! A double bluff feeding our ego, LMAO. I respect any craft presented Scotch. But on my journey I don't think I have much to learn from a blend. I can't even bring myself to buy a decent grain whisky. I don't feel like a snob I just know that single malt is a more interesting discussion.
I understand the sentiment! It's wise to feed your palate a varied experience but I think it's fair to say that this one leans towards value rather than quality. Especially when there is Ardnamurchan single malt available.
I'm really struggling with this one. It's super young and that grain component isn't doing the whisky any favours. I've put it at the back of the cupboard for 6 months....
I hope some airing improves it for you. You never know! I agree that the grain component is a questionable choice. It's perhaps an interesting change of pace for malt heads but other than knocking a few £ off of the price, is it bringing much to the table? 🤷♂️ I'd love to be able to try this without that grain whisky in the mix to find out.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one, Shane. Haven't tried it with your remark on the grain content being the most important reason: not a fan of grain whisky. But maybe I am wrong... Slàinte mhath
70% malt may well be high for a blend but 30% grain is more than enough that you're not going to get away from that blendy flavour profile. It's a good blended Scotch but doesn't pretend to be something it's not. If you don't want to taste any grain at all then you've probably made the right call. Cheers 🥃
30 dollars is my max for a blend, This was over 50 bucks at my local store and that is way too much for me. I can almost get a cask strength Bourbon for that price. I will stick to blended malts and single malts. Great review, very honest.
Price is often the problem with quality blends. I agree. You can smooth out some rough young malt with the addition of grain whisky but when you're looking at higher price range products what is the benefit? 🤔
A lovely blend, but I'm posting now as a warning & advice for others who also enjoy this drop...... Drink it !! It doesn't not last well. I've been slowly sipping on & off over 6 months. About half a bottle gone. 6 months on & its flat. It's lost its spring in its step. For now its like a blend between Caol Ila & Chivas 18 ( blend I do from time to time). Its not bad, but its not the same as the bottle the bottle I opened.
Good one! This was mega-hyped on release in Germany. Ardnamuchan are at least as good at PR as they are at distilling. I'm glad recent reviews, including yours, have put things in perspective. Here's a question for you: a whisky merchant who knows Ardamurchan very well argued in a German forum that it's not a craft distillery by his standards. Why? Because it is so highly automated, to the extent that it's been manned by one person. There's a program and it's executed, no real time reaction/interaction bewteen a team and the process. High tech, sustainable, quality-oriented, but calculated and predictable. No violet-flavored batches to be expected here 😅Craft or not?
I can understand where your merchant friend is coming from. Personally automation is low on my list of priorities though. The important things to me are that flavour isn't being deliberately removed (filtration, additives and excessive dilution), that quality materials are being used (barley, casks, yeast) and that processes are being followed that allow that flavour to be there in the first place. A hand made product counts for something but its not essential to me and comes second to flavour. Just my opinion. Cheers 🥃
I'm torn on this one. In Norway, it costs the equivalent to £45. I think the higher alcohol tax here accounts for most of the price difference though, which is around £21 a bottle, I think that's twice the tax in the UK. So maybe the price is fair, in a way. But then, an Ardnamurchan AD costs only £5 more, which is probably way better value. The flat tax makes the pricier bottles better picks for value usually, whereas the cheaper whiskies are really expensive. How peaty is Maclean's nose, compared to regular Ardnamurchan? I've tried an AD and an AD cask strength, both peatier than I expected. Halfway to an Ardbeg maybe?
Hi! I believe in the UK we pay a flat rate of £10.18 in duty per 700ml of 46% and then 20% of the sale price on top as actual tax. So probably £16-18 on something like this if you count the duty as a form of tax... which it is really. I wouldn't be buying this is the price were the same as Ardbamurchan AD though. The AD is just better IMHO. More peat. More flavour. More malt. I'd only consider this as a cheaper alternative to proper Ardnamurchan or possibly if a milder, less peated and less intense experience is what you're looking for. Cheers 🥃
Great review Shane! To me this Blend is (to be honest) quite boring. For shure a quality spirit. But for me no excitement at all. Would always prefer to spend the 8 EUR more for the TB BSW 6. And would always prefer the Naked Grouse and the Cutty Sark Prohibition at the given prices. A propos quality price ratio: Did you get your hands on the 100-proof-series from SV? I tasted the 2015 Tullibardine and the 2010 Ardmore and I find these are not less than really fantastic. And I am very glad to have backup bottles of both. Cheers!
I can totally get behind that. It's affordable, available, well presented and (IMHO) decent. Not my choice for WOTY but I can understand why it's his 👍
Not crazy on MN I really don’t get all the hype . See a bandwagon and join it 🙈 I Really like Ralfy’s channel and value his knowledge But IMO I really don’t see how how this is a “ Whisky of the year “ Won’t be buying again
I think a lot of the excitement is because it's a well presented blend from a much loved company. Which has lead to a certain degree of rose tinted whisky goggles 🤓 its a decent blend but just that. I'm finishing off my bottle with family tonight and while I feel like it was worth the price for a one off, next time I'll probably be looking for another bottle of Cutty Prohibition Edition or maybe I'll give one of those Thompson Bros products a go that everyone loves so much.
Good honest review as always Shane. I was not blown away when I first opened the bottle but as I’ve had more drams I’ve found it has really opened up and improved a lot. I purchased it mainly because of the Ardnamurchan link and am not disappointed. In this crazy world of ever increasing prices for malt whisky it’s just refreshing to buy a high level malt content and well presented blend for around £30 (……and Ralfy’s whisky of the year !)
I think many, many bottles were sold off of that Ardnamurchan link. I agree that the presentation alone justifies the price. If only they'd state it on the label!! Cheers 🥃
Hello Shane! We don’t chill filter or colour our whiskies whatsoever. 👍
Full disclosure - we just missed it on the first label run, oops. 😬 🙊 🤣
New label for next batch has been fixed and is going out to shops as we speak.
Cheers,
Connal
Hi Connal! Thanks for confirming and more importantly thank you for committing to it on the label. Keep up the good work with the honest whisky and excellent transparency. Cheers 🥃
Great review Shane! I bought a bottle of this, and it is good for the price, but I won't be rushing out to buy backups or replace the bottle. I think the addition of grain whisky detracts from it. I picked up the MacNair's Lum Reek NAS for the same price and the Loch Lomond 12 on special for a couple of dollars more. Also picked up three Wemyss 46% blends, Spice King, Peat Chimney and The Hive, on special for around the same price. All of these I think are better than MacLean's Nose and I think that is due to the grain whisky content. By the way, it was your review of the Spice King 12 that put me on to Wemyss. Cheers!
Spice King and LL12 at a similar price illustrate the problem nicely... Glad you're enjoying Spice King from my review. Cheers 🥃
Great review, & well described. Funny you mentioned the Kilhoman, I thought the same. I refer to it as a 'juicy' peat ( reminds me of juicy fruit chewing gum). I really like this one & will be a repeat purchase. Generally though I dont mind a blend if I like it, I do like the Compass box blends.
Any comparison to Kilchoman has to be a good thing 👍
I purchased a bottle in Oban (£29) along my last trip in Scotland
From my point of vue it’s a really good whisky and a very good quality value price
In my country 🇧🇪 it’s not easy to find a bottle ... so I jumped on it and happy ...
I bought a bottle the last weekend in London (£33) 😊 so now I can share more with the Belgian (Menno @maltymission and the few Belgian barflies )
It is very fairly and realistically priced. They could've probably added £10 to their price and not raised too many eyebrows thanks to Adelphi's good rep. Cheers to you and the Belgian Bar Flies 🥃
I think you've been honest and analytical in this review, Shane. Yes, it's a competently made blended Scotch whisky and it's nice to see such a thing bottled at 46% abv. Well done, Adelphi. Yet I find myself reaching past this bottle when thinking of a starter for a flight. There were some quality core range single malts with age statements on the market at Christmas time for less than the price of the "Nose" which provide me with much more bang for my buck and which keep me going back to when I want to start an evening's flight. In contrast, I'm simply not inspired by the taste of the "Nose." Like you, I hope future batches of this blend will provide some flavour which is not quite so predictable as that of the first iteration. Oh, and after all the talk of the importance of producing whisky which is non-chill filtered and contains no artificial colouring, then, yes, why on earth is such information not on the label? Beggars belief. Cheers.
I found it a nice change of pace but not something that I found myself reaching for either. And I think that's a large part of why it's not going to be a regular buy for me. I got my money's worth and now I'm moving on. And that's OK.
Very hard to believe that Adelphi didn't put those important guarantees on the label though. The kind of shenanigans that we expect from lesser distilleries. Cheers 🥃
Thanks for this review. It is pretty much in line with my judgement after finishing the bottle. Will buy smothering, if the recipe may change but Dienste not abmisst replacement. I do enjoy the Campbeltown Loch (yes its a blended malt) much more though.
I enjoyed Cambeltown Loch a lot more too. I think the juicy, malty blended malts are really where it's at when venturing away from single malt. Generally a much better experience and some can be VERY cheap and great value 👍
A very fair review. If one can afford the upgrade, I would just get the Ardnamurchan AD.
Probably the smart option for most!
I bought a bottle after Ralfs review. Really enjoying it. It’s good whiskey for a good price. It wouldn’t stand up against some more expensive whisky but can’t beat it for the cost… well… perhaps Arran 10.
Great review. I have yet to see this on the shelves in my market.
Hi Shane
I have been looking at getting a bottle of this whiskey, but I think I will be buying a bottle of compass box orchard house again, I really find it a good blinded whiskey, my current store has sold out and I'm waiting for them to restock it again. Cheers Sir and thanks for the great review on this blended whisky !!!
Orchard House hangs this one out to dry IMHO. Fantastic blend that shows what is great about blended malt. Different style sure but I prefer it 👍
Dear Shane, I have e tried this whisky and I did enjoy it. In Italy, the Ardnamurchan Sherry Cask and their Ad09/22 are still fairly priced and thus I will wait to pick this up and enjoy the two former bottles. Your review is excellent and rich in details, I am grateful. Well done 👍 ciao 👋 S.
This is a nice, cheap and well presented whisky but proper Cask Strength Ardnamurchan can't be argued with 👍 Cheers Sandro 🥃
Great review Shane! I didn’t live this “in demand” whisky but I know many people did! It may get better as it opens up more. Love your thoughts! Cheers!
Thanks Christine. It's certainly a whisky that I like rather than love but I'm glad it exists 🙂
I will keep exploring this whisky!!
Thanks for that Shane. I tasted it at a whisky show, just after trying the Paul Launois finished Ardnamurchan, so it was harder to connect with then it might have been. Might pick one up now though as a no regrets whisky. On your point about Glendronach and chill filtration, just read an interesting article on dramface where they reached out to someone who worked there. Seems like it might be more nuanced than we thought…
I still haven't tried any of the Ardnamurchan Paul Launois but I've heard very good things and must've been a hard act to follow!
You're right, there is much more to the Glendronach NCF thing than meets the eye. It's not a case of Glendro deciding overnight to turn evil. But it still highlights the importance of declaring NCF and NC on the label. It's because Glendro were honest enough to state it in the past that the whole thing was brought to our attention. And if Glendro truly cared they could've dropped all chill filtration when the issue was raised and kept the statement. Sadly they made the wrong choice.
It shows the importance of those guarantees on the label though. Those statements show that a distillery holds itself to high standards and is committed to honesty.
Thank you Shane! You and Geoff made my mind up for me. I have not tried it but the hype was so much I started imagining something amazing, alas it's a blended Scotch, a good quality one but a blended none the less. Yes we shouldn't be snobs about blends and I certainly reach for some JW or Cutty Sark products when I just want a simple dram but the complexity and full flavoured feel you want from malts, you won't get in them. This is why we watch these videos to get more and more informed about everything being released which could be overwhelming at times. Cheers Shane!
Thanks for the shoutout at the end! Good things come for those who wait 😅till the end.
Great review as always Shane… thorough and objective. Enjoyable… especially for the price but like you I’m not running out to get multiple backups.
Looking forward to their age statements in time.
Cheers 🥃😇
You're welcome John and thanks for your review that helped me decide on whether or not I wanted to take the plunge on this one and what to expect 👍 Cheers 🥃
It is a blend at a price point and it's exemplary at that price point in today's market and in that context.
I pretty much agree with your assessment of the bottle and with blends in general.
Cheers for the critical review. I skipped this for similar reservations. I don’t know if it’s me, but I don’t quite get why certain things are being hyped as much as they are in the whisky bubble lately. I tried the Thompson Bros SRV5 and was really unimpressed. I’d take the Spice King 12 you put on my radar every time over it. What good is a decent price and the craftiest craft presentation if it doesn’t taste good? Sometimes I wonder if price and presentation are overemphasized because they are ‘objective’ markers of quality vs the more difficult taste. And if these new players get a bonus for being new and small, but surely their whisky needs to be competitive where it counts, in the glass?
Regarding ‘premium blends’: I bought the Murray McDavid Rebel's Reserve Madeira & Red Wine Cask 12, which is 50% malt and 50% grain. And half the grain is even 35 years old! My fault, I know. A valuable lesson: I hate it and gave it away. I’m going to keep away from Madeira and red wine casks for now. I paid around 40 Euros for it, which made it initially interesting. Another discussion for another day, Murray McDavid is going into cask finishing overdrive at all price points which is a direction of the whisky market I could really do without. Who was waiting for a NAS Dailuaine finished in a bourbon quarter cask? Non-chill filtered and natural color and cheap though! If only it was 46% instead of 44.5% everything would be great.
Sorry, didn’t realize I had a whole rant pent up!
We are all entitled to the occasional rant 😁 I love hearing that people are enjoying Spice King, especially after hearing about it from me 👍 I miss that one and need another bottle.
There's definitely a lot of bandwagoning around certain craft brands. Which is understandable. But we all need to stay objective, which it sounds like you are.
I'm not normally crazy about cask finishes either. Been bitten too many times and I generally avoid it. Especially when it's combined with a high price! I am really enjoying the Murray McDavid Tullibardine Sherry Cask Craft that I had in the advent calendar though. Nice sherry that doesn't take over and a nice price. Agree that 46% would be nice... Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock Thanks for letting me rant! I've gone through 2 bottles of the Spice King 12 and am keeping a third in the stash as local supply has finally run out.
I picked up a bottle of the Speyburn 18 based on this year's calendar and its pretty good! I really prefer the Ancnoc 18, have you tried it?
Looking forward to the Clairin reviews by the way! I bought a Vaval and opened it but shelved it for now as it was just more olive than I could handle in that moment. I'm instead exploring Mezcal on the side and having a great time! Would be curious to hear your take on a Mezcal at some point!
Cheers!
@@1jaasuh I haven't bought any unpeated Ancnoc for years to be honest. I will look for the 18.
Vaval is an excellent one for the adventurous IMHO. It's probably my favourite clairin. As with most clairin, it is charmingly weird though. I find Sajous and Casimir a little tamer (but still great) but yes persevere with the Vaval at a later date.
I love Mezcal. I believe I have reviewed one (Ilegal) and intend to review more. I nearly bought a bottle of Enmascarado recently. I really enjoyed that last time I had it. And most of the small batch stuff is great if you can find it. Cheers 🥃
Thanks for the great review and, as always, for the fantastic deadpan humour you pepper throughout your videos. The points you raise around blends in general are interesting and certainly got me thinking. I understand where your comment regarding the identity crisis comes from, maybe I am a bit more optimistic. There is certainly a state of change in this space and for me, products like Maclean's Nose, TB/BSW, and the Compass Box blends are both a step in the right direction for blends and competitive vs similarly priced single malts, at least in my market (Italy). Haven't seen any of the black Bottle Alchemist series around here, but I now want to grab one if I can find it!
Thank you for the kind words. Agreed that some blends are going in the right direction. Blended malts in particular can be fantastic, interesting in ways that single malt struggles to do AND great value. Cheers 🥃
A sublime blended scotch - $32 usd - very competent - an absolute BUY! Label has been changed and reflects NCF/ NCA-- it's small but noted for those that look!
Yes! Very glad they updated the label. Silly that they missed it off to begin with really.
It's a blend because Adelphi has probably enough mediocre grain casks. A nice opportunity to get rid of them.
Good point and a double edged sword. Products like this do give a producer an alternative to trying to hide crap casks in the vatting...
Great review, Shane. Didn't connect with this one much, but it's certainly a quality pour. 🥃
Thanks Geoff. I'm prepared for some pushback on this review so I'm glad it's not just me. It's quality stuff as you say and fairly priced but nothing to get too excited about. Cheers 🥃
You and me both.
Wasn’t bothered either-would rather drink the srv5 or aged 6 yrs from Thompson bros
I have to day it’s really nice. A step above your typical supermarket deal here in UK at least. A quality blend at sub 35 quid. Everyone should have one if they can find one.
That's a good point. It knocks the socks off any supermarket blend. And thinking about it, the price isn't that much higher than what they're asking for JW Black when not on discount. Cheers 🥃
Excellent review
Absolutely! A double bluff feeding our ego, LMAO.
I respect any craft presented Scotch. But on my journey I don't think I have much to learn from a blend. I can't even bring myself to buy a decent grain whisky.
I don't feel like a snob I just know that single malt is a more interesting discussion.
I understand the sentiment! It's wise to feed your palate a varied experience but I think it's fair to say that this one leans towards value rather than quality. Especially when there is Ardnamurchan single malt available.
I felt similarly until I got into the signatory 30+ yr single grain casks- really good
I'm really struggling with this one. It's super young and that grain component isn't doing the whisky any favours. I've put it at the back of the cupboard for 6 months....
I hope some airing improves it for you. You never know! I agree that the grain component is a questionable choice. It's perhaps an interesting change of pace for malt heads but other than knocking a few £ off of the price, is it bringing much to the table? 🤷♂️ I'd love to be able to try this without that grain whisky in the mix to find out.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one, Shane.
Haven't tried it with your remark on the grain content being the most important reason: not a fan of grain whisky. But maybe I am wrong...
Slàinte mhath
70% malt may well be high for a blend but 30% grain is more than enough that you're not going to get away from that blendy flavour profile. It's a good blended Scotch but doesn't pretend to be something it's not. If you don't want to taste any grain at all then you've probably made the right call. Cheers 🥃
30 dollars is my max for a blend, This was over 50 bucks at my local store and that is way too much for me. I can almost get a cask strength Bourbon for that price. I will stick to blended malts and single malts. Great review, very honest.
Price is often the problem with quality blends. I agree. You can smooth out some rough young malt with the addition of grain whisky but when you're looking at higher price range products what is the benefit? 🤔
I quite liked the Dancey man :) got this on order. Intriguing by it! Lots and lots of hype, I am also late to the show
Ah, if you liked Dancing Man Blend then I think you'll love this. Same idea but better in every way. Enjoy! 🥃
A lovely blend, but I'm posting now as a warning & advice for others who also enjoy this drop...... Drink it !! It doesn't not last well. I've been slowly sipping on & off over 6 months. About half a bottle gone. 6 months on & its flat. It's lost its spring in its step. For now its like a blend between Caol Ila & Chivas 18 ( blend I do from time to time). Its not bad, but its not the same as the bottle the bottle I opened.
Sound advice. I generally open and drink lighter blends like this for that very reason 👍
Great advice, drink it asap, I down this by the pint everyone else should too.
@@vincevirtua Please gulp responsibly...
@@WhiskyLock indeed 😆 just having a laff
@@vincevirtua I know 😉
Good one! This was mega-hyped on release in Germany. Ardnamuchan are at least as good at PR as they are at distilling. I'm glad recent reviews, including yours, have put things in perspective.
Here's a question for you: a whisky merchant who knows Ardamurchan very well argued in a German forum that it's not a craft distillery by his standards. Why? Because it is so highly automated, to the extent that it's been manned by one person. There's a program and it's executed, no real time reaction/interaction bewteen a team and the process. High tech, sustainable, quality-oriented, but calculated and predictable. No violet-flavored batches to be expected here 😅Craft or not?
I can understand where your merchant friend is coming from. Personally automation is low on my list of priorities though. The important things to me are that flavour isn't being deliberately removed (filtration, additives and excessive dilution), that quality materials are being used (barley, casks, yeast) and that processes are being followed that allow that flavour to be there in the first place. A hand made product counts for something but its not essential to me and comes second to flavour. Just my opinion. Cheers 🥃
I'm torn on this one. In Norway, it costs the equivalent to £45. I think the higher alcohol tax here accounts for most of the price difference though, which is around £21 a bottle, I think that's twice the tax in the UK. So maybe the price is fair, in a way. But then, an Ardnamurchan AD costs only £5 more, which is probably way better value. The flat tax makes the pricier bottles better picks for value usually, whereas the cheaper whiskies are really expensive.
How peaty is Maclean's nose, compared to regular Ardnamurchan? I've tried an AD and an AD cask strength, both peatier than I expected. Halfway to an Ardbeg maybe?
Hi! I believe in the UK we pay a flat rate of £10.18 in duty per 700ml of 46% and then 20% of the sale price on top as actual tax. So probably £16-18 on something like this if you count the duty as a form of tax... which it is really.
I wouldn't be buying this is the price were the same as Ardbamurchan AD though. The AD is just better IMHO. More peat. More flavour. More malt.
I'd only consider this as a cheaper alternative to proper Ardnamurchan or possibly if a milder, less peated and less intense experience is what you're looking for. Cheers 🥃
My bottle says pretty clearly unchillfiltered/natural color on the right of the label. Unless it's a different batch.
Adelphi added it to the label on later batches after getting called out on it 😉
It’s a pity Ardnamurchan don’t put non-chill filtered and natural colour on the label.
It's insane that they didn't bother to state it...
@@Aircraftsystemst worth mentioning it’s on the front label now.
Great review Shane! To me this Blend is (to be honest) quite boring. For shure a quality spirit. But for me no excitement at all. Would always prefer to spend the 8 EUR more for the TB BSW 6. And would always prefer the Naked Grouse and the Cutty Sark Prohibition at the given prices.
A propos quality price ratio: Did you get your hands on the 100-proof-series from SV? I tasted the 2015 Tullibardine and the 2010 Ardmore and I find these are not less than really fantastic. And I am very glad to have backup bottles of both. Cheers!
I really need to get around to trying Thompson Bros. Not had any yet!
@@WhiskyLock BSW6 as well as SRV5 are well worth a try.
👍
This is Ralfy's whisky for the year.
I can totally get behind that. It's affordable, available, well presented and (IMHO) decent. Not my choice for WOTY but I can understand why it's his 👍
Not pulled on this yet, think I will give it a go at some point once the hype train leaves town
Fair and very sensible. It's worth a try if you get around to it 👍
Not crazy on MN
I really don’t get all the hype .
See a bandwagon and join it 🙈
I Really like Ralfy’s channel and value his knowledge
But IMO
I really don’t see how how this is a “ Whisky of the year “
Won’t be buying again
I think a lot of the excitement is because it's a well presented blend from a much loved company. Which has lead to a certain degree of rose tinted whisky goggles 🤓 its a decent blend but just that.
I'm finishing off my bottle with family tonight and while I feel like it was worth the price for a one off, next time I'll probably be looking for another bottle of Cutty Prohibition Edition or maybe I'll give one of those Thompson Bros products a go that everyone loves so much.
🥃👍🏻😁
First comment )
🥳😂
@@WhiskyLock Shane good review ,like . Mr.Maclean heave great nose )))
Cheers buddy 🥃