I am not impartial to some wine now and again. Whisky is perfect, but a nice glass of wine, on a hot day, is refreshing. A while ago, on a Friday afternoon, John brought me a bottle of wine. It was in a plastic bottle. The snob in me was slightly horrified. What was he thinking?
Not to be rude, I tried it. And oh my, what a fantastic glass of wine it was. The bottle in question was the Tangled Tree Tropical Sauvignon Blanc. After that, I have tried all five wines in the range and love the Chocolate Cabernet Sauvignon and the Moscato Rosé wine the most.
Jump forward a few months, and there I was, wandering around the Whisky Life Pretoria in Brooklyn. I visited one of my favourite people, Pierre Meintjies, at the Bunnahabhain exhibition, then turned around and walked straight into a new blended whisky.
It’s called Scottish Cousin whisky. I stood there listening to an enthusiastic man talking about this affordable blended whisky and realised that the label is reminiscent of the Four Cousins wine.
To say that I was sceptical might be an understatement. Were a few wine farmers from Robertson trying to sell whisky? At an event where you had some of the most loved whisky brands on the planet? Seriously?
I watched people walking up, tasting and standing around with a smile. The man saw me and offered me a taste. I declined at first but listened to the story behind this blend. The Cousins of Van Loveren visited Scotland and decided to extend their range with a Cousin from Scotland. The blend of traditional Scottish whisky was hand-selected by Neil, the youngest of the Four Cousins and fourth-generation Scottish ancestry.
Now I am from a Dutch background, but that does not make me an expert cheesemaker. After a bit of research, I realised that the Tangle Tree Eco Wine Range was part of the Four Cousins’ portfolio. They made excellent wine, but did the fourth generation wine farmer know something about whisky?
The Scottish Cousin whisky range includes a 5 year old, an 8 year old and a 12 year old blended whisky. They were all aged in American Oak and use the Optic and Concerto barley strains. The whisky was distilled, blended and bottled in Scotland and released at a 43% ABV.
The pricing ranges from the very affordable Scottish Cousin 5 year old at about R200 to the very reasonably priced +-R 400 for the Scottish Cousin 12 year old. But what did they taste like?
Also Read: The Singleton 15 yo Whisky
ABV: 43%
COLOUR: Gold with dark amber hints
NOSE: Oak, toffee, Christmas pudding with hints of butterscotch and vanilla. It’s not a very complex nose. The addition of water brings out more sweetness and marshmallow notes.
PALATE: There is a spiciness balanced with sweetness. Hints of cloves, balanced with fresh berries. Light and refreshing, a summer sipping dram. Adding water to this Scottish cousin 5 yo makes it smoother and very easy drinking.
FINISH: Medium length and ends in sweet woody notes.
RATING: VERY GOOD
At a R200 price point, this is an amazing dram. The Scottish Cousin 5 year old whisky can easily compete with older more expensive drams and hold its own. It is an unpretentious, easy-drinking and thoroughly enjoyable whisky which offers great value for money.
COLOUR: Golden yellow with copper hints.
NOSE: Floral and fresh summer fruit drizzled in honey, mixed with vanilla, butterscotch and marshmallow. Faint hints of cinnamon spiciness.
PALATE: Fresh fruit, spice, roasted nuts and sugar sweetness wonderfully balanced with that rich bourbon vanilla taste. There is a creamy chewiness to the Scottish Cousin 8 yo. An almost chocolatey yumminess. The addition of water soothes the fruity notes and brings a little bit of the oak to the forefront, but at the same time makes the whisky deliciously enjoyable.
FINISH: Medium length that ends in light notes of sweetness and toasted rice. The addition of water brings out the dryness and a woodiness that reminds me of faint hints of leather.
RATING: EXCELLENT
At around R 280 for the bottle of deliciousness, it is the best buy! The 8 year old whisky is my favourite. It is an easy-drinking, fun, thoroughly enjoyable whisky that will not be out of place in an upmarket bar.
It’s rich with wonderful complex notes. This is what liquid sunshine tastes like. I paired this Scottish Cousin with some Oreo cookies over here, and it made for a delectable combination.
ABV: 43%
COLOUR: Dark Gold with mahogany hints.
NOSE: Rich and complex. Condensed milk fudge sweetness, fresh summer berries, maple syrup with hints of vanilla, butterscotch and cream. Faint hints of bread pudding.
PALATE: Heaviest of the three, it’s rich and creamy. On the palate, there is fruity sweetness followed by spicy notes and faint hints of oak. There is a deliciousness to this dram that invites you to try some more. The Scottish Cousin 12 year old becomes smooth and easy drinking with the addition of water. It is complex and fun drinking; especially at R400.
FINISH: More significant and longer than the other 2 expressions and end in notes of dried oak, malt biscuits and toffee.
RATING: EXCELLENT
It is a warming and comforting dram that you will reach for again and again. Trust me, I know, my bottle is nearly half. I also paired this 12 year old whisky with a Royal Ashton cheese, and the results were delicious!
These amazing Scottish Cousin drams are available at Pick n Pay, Checkers, Spar, Liquor City, Liquorland, Norman Goodfellows, Makro and online at Takealot. So go out and grab a bottle.
Also read: Bell’s Special Reserve Whisky
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