Last week I about the Top 5 single malt whiskies under R500 available in South Africa. This blog post came about after a friend asked for some help in choosing whisky as a gift. This week, I continue with my recommendation and wrote a Top 5 blends under R500 available in South Africa post for this week.

These whiskies are all readily available in South Africa and will not break the bank. Additionally, they are all whiskies that we have personally tasted and rated over the last two years. These are whiskies that I rate Excellent or Divine. I have tried to include a variety to cover a broad range of tastes.

The blended whisky category was both a lot easier but also a lot harder to narrow down compared to the single malt group. There are not too many single malt whiskies available under R500. Most of the single malt whiskies retail for more than R500.

In the blended whisky category, there are too many to choose from. So, to narrow this list down to only our Top 5 blends was a bit more difficult.

Here goes, the Top 5 blends under R500 available in South Africa that you can buy with confidence. Don’t stress about Christmas presents; this list has you covered. And it wouldn’t leave you with an empty wallet.

Also Read: Helden Hickory Wood Spirit

The Top 5 Blends under R500

Ballantine’s Finest Whisky

This Ballantine’s Finest whisky is blended from more than 50 single malts (particularly Miltonduff and Glenburgie), as well as 4 single grain whiskies. I received this as a gift from good friends. It was the first blended whisky that I gave a rating of Divine.

The Ballantine’s Finest Scotch whisky has flavours of Christmas cake, dried fruit and muscovado sugar. In the background, there are hints of peat and smoke. Since tasting this, I have extended our collection of Ballantine’s whiskies with everything I can get my hands on. They are all amazing!

Black Grouse Whisky

This blended Scotch whisky is a peaty version of the regular Famous Grouse. Named after the Black Grouse, a declining bird species in Europe. Jim Murray awarded it 94 points in this Whisky Bible.

I truly enjoyed this whisky and rated it Excellent. Tasting notes include peat smoke, caramel and spice.  Not only peaty and affordable, but it paired remarkably well with Indian food

Johnnie Walker Black Label Whisky

One of the world’s most famous premium blends,Johnnie Walker Black Label blended Scotch whisky. This 12 yo is a mixture of around 40 different whiskies. The iconic square bottle makes it one of the world’s most recognizable Scottish whiskies.

It’s also one of whisky critic Jim Murray’s favourite blends. With tasting notes that include winter spice and treacle, notes of wood smoke and creamy toffee, no wonder this is one of my top picks.

Monkey Shoulder Whisky

Rooted in malt whisky history and inspired by the malt men who still turn the malting barley by hand, Monkey Shoulder is a blended malt Scotch whisky made from three of Speyside’s finest single malts. The distilleries include The Balvenie and Glenfiddich.

It has notes of barley, cereals and spices mixed with honey sweetness and vanilla. I gave this blended whisky a rating Excellent. It will also make a great addition to whisky cocktails.

Three Ships Bourbon Cask Whisky

This favourite blend was the first 100% South African blended whisky. The Three Ships Bourbon cask finish whisky has been finished in 1st fill American bourbon casks. The bourbon casks impart an appealing sweetness and spiciness to this great whisky.

It has notes of caramel and marshmallow mixed in between the cereal and barley. I rated this proudly South African whisky as Excellent and it just had to be on my list.

These blended whiskies are available at most major retailers. With Christmas coming up, I notice that most major brands are releasing gift pack versions of their whiskies. So not only do you get a great bottle of whisky, but there are matching gifts and special packaging.  Well worth it!

Also Read: Tomintoul 10 yo Whisky

Last Friday, some friends came over for our regular girls’ lunch. I wanted to spice things up and served an Indian curry lunch combined with a whisky pairing. Some research on the internet indicated that Indian food and whisky fit well together. Especially the more peaty whiskies, pair well with the spicy South Indian food.

I also found various combinations where the more floral and fruity Speyside whiskies were paired with Indian finger food and seafood. The matching of Indian food and whisky is a delicate balance between the spicy food and the whisky’s subtle flavours.

Pairing Whisky and Indian Food

The one should not overwhelm the other but bring out the best of each element. For starters. I choose a simple Indian aloo masala (potato curry). The potatoes are flavoured with chilli, mustard seeds and curry leaves, and it is a dry curry.

This dish is one of the main fillings for an Indian masala dosa, a fermented pancake made from rice and black lentils. At our lunch, this was served with some roti. I paired the aloo masala with The Black Grouse whisky.

I tried the Black Grouse earlier in the year and was amazed by the complexity. It is the peaty expression from the Famous Grouse and I rated this blended whisky excellent.

The Black Grouse has notes of peat, smoke and oak. What a great whisky and food pairing! The mildly peated Black Grouse paired wonderfully with the spicy potatoes and created an enticing combination.

Even the girls who didn’t like peated whiskies enjoyed this combination.

Also Read: Signature Rare Aged whisky

The main course was an Indian chana masala (Chickpea Curry). I cooked the chickpeas in a sauce of onions, tomatoes, garlic and masala spices. This dish is a popular Punjabi dish and is also found in Pakistani cuisine. Basmati rice and a cucumber salad accompanied the dish.

I paired this chana masala with aBain’s Whisky. I was hoping the spicy and nutty notes from the chickpeas will pair with the toffee, oak and floral notes in the Bain’s whisky. The pairing was not as successful as the first one, and we grabbed the Black Grouse again to see if that combination worked better.

And lo and behold, the Black Grouse whisky paired wonderfully with the different spices in the Chana Masala.

The Verdict: Black Grouse Whisky and Potato Curry

The peaty Black Grouse whisky paired amazingly well with the two different curries. The peat and smoky notes are mild enough to suit people who are not peat lovers but strong enough to enhance the spicy Indian Food.

The combination was smooth and satisfying, and the Black Grouse complemented the potatoes and chickpeas well. I give this pairing a RATING: EXCELLENT.

The Black Grouse will probably also pair well with samosas and most tomato-based curries.  It is the one whisky that every Indian restaurant should have in their bar. The Black Grouse whisky is in the affordable price range and will enhance most dishes on the Indian menu.

And the Bain’s whisky? I am on a mission to find an interesting dish that will pair with this amazing whisky. So keep watching this space. In 4 months, the girls are coming for lunch again; perhaps by then, I would have found my Bain’s whisky match.

Also Read: Bain’s Whisky Chicken Marinade Recipe

For all my ‘Whisky of the Week’ posts, I publish a review and a rating for every whisky. These whisky ratings are based on my personal whisky rating system. There are many whisky rating systems in use.

The two that my audience is  most familiar with are those used by Jim Murray and Serge Valentin. Jim Murray publishes the annual Whisky Bible and has reviews and ratings for more than 4,500 whiskies.

Serge runs the WhiskyFun site and lists more than 8,500 reviews and ratings. Both Serge and Jim use a 100 point scale that takes factors like nose, taste, balance, complexity and finish into account and determines a score using a formula.

Whisky  scores can differ by half a point in these schemes. These guys are legends, and John and I are just ordinary folks that like whisky, so we wanted a simple system that could convey our impressions.

How the Whisky Ratings work

The great thing about any whisky is that one person may love it, and another may think it ordinary. It often happens with John and me! We don’t always agree.  John prefers peaty full-bodied whiskies, and I prefer sweeter Speyside whiskies. A complicated whisky rating system makes no sense for us, so we came up with a simple whisky rating system.

The whisky rating is assigned based on our reaction.  It is broken down as follows:
– ORDINARY if we look at each other and go “oh dear”. We usually don’t finish the glass.
– GOOD when it’s enjoyable but forgettable.  One of us sometimes doesn’t finish the glass.
– VERY GOOD when it’s enjoyable and memorable, and we don’t mind having another glass later in the week,
– EXCELLENT when we want to pour a second and third round,
– DIVINE when we both go “OMG!!” and try not to finish the bottle.

When we disagree on the rating, we will take an average of both our scores.  It may make Jim and Serge cringe, but it’s good fun for us!  And at the end of each year, we look back at the EXCELLENT and DIVINE ratings and choose our favourite.

Some of my favourite drams during the last couple of years include:

• Port Askaig 8 yo Whisky
• GlenDronach 18 yo Allardice Whisky
• Bain’s 15 year old Whisky
• Ardbeg Scorch Single Malt whisky
• Glen Grant 12 yo Non Chill Filtered whisky

These “divine rated” drams are a combination of expensive and affordable. They are from not only Scotland, but other countries as well. There are affordable whiskies that are delicious, and not all expensive older drams are good.