Famous Grouse Smoky Black Whisky

Today I look at a smoky budget blend; the Famous Grouse Smoky Black blended Scotch whisky. I have tasted my way through some of the top-selling budget blends this year. The Bell’s whisky was not too bad and brought back lots of childhood memories.

However, the Black and White whisky was too sweet. A characteristic of these budget blends is the very high grain percentage that leaves the dram (quite frequently) overly sweet and overwhelms many (if any) of the more peaty notes.

I was looking for a budget blend with a more peaty profile and then realized that I have not tasted or captures my tasting notes for the Famous Grouse Smoky Black whisky yet.

Famous Grouse launched The Smoky Black towards the end of 2015 to replace the Black Grouse whisky. According to some Internet research, the recipe of the Smoky Black is the same as Black Grouse whisky. It is described as a “smoky yet sweet whisky.”

The Famous Grouse blend is one of the top-selling brands globally, and as with many blends, it was conceived by a grocer and drinks merchant named Matthew Gloag. The Famous Grouse blend comprises whisky from various distilleries, including Macallan, Glenrothes and Highland Park.

Other releases in the Famous Grouse portfolio include the Naked Grouse and Famous Grouse Bourbon cask whisky. The Smoky Black is a NAS release and retails for around R 290. It is readily available in SA.

I loved the Black Grouse blended Scotch whisky and found it the perfect bottle to pair with Indian food and use in marinade for lamb. Will I love the Smoky Black Scotch just as much?

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The Famous Grouse Smoky Black Whisky Review

ABV:43%

COLOUR: A dark golden amber

NOSE: Hints of alcohol that first needs to evaporate. Sweetness with bits of smoke, cherries and lots of vanilla. Fresh pine needles and dry wood. Light peat and spices.

PALATE: Medium body with drying oak, peat and dried fruit. Pepper and cloves with smoke and grainy sweetness. Quite a bit of alcohol heat that needs a few drops of water to soften. It has the green Highland type of peat notes and not the fishy Islay kind of peat. Water tones down the heat but also washes out the peat. It becomes fairly sweet with water.

FINISH: Short with notes of bitter pectin, caramel and drying oak.

RATING: VERY GOOD

I love the new branding/packaging on this release. The bottle looks more premium when compared to the Black Grouse. However, looking at the liquid in the glass, it needs to breathe a bit for the alcohol to waft off.

Comparing it to my tasting notes for the Black Grouse, I am not convinced that the recipe stayed the same. Take into account, my last bottle of Black Grouse is long gone, and I am just comparing by memory, but I can’t remember the Black Grouse having so much alcohol heat with the grainy sweetness and very light peat.

My notes for the Black Grouse included peat and smoke followed by ginger and pepper notes, a woodiness in the palate with notes of oak and rich chocolate sweetness. I found none of that decadent chocolate sweetness with the Smoky Grouse, more of a caramel and cherry type sweetness.

The Smoky Grouse is not a bad whisky and will work nicely in a cocktail, but I am not sure that I will repurchase this bottle. I have also managed to get hold of a Famous Grouse Bourbon Cask release and really enjoyed it.

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