Looking around my whisky room, I was in the mood for an uncomplicated side-by-side comparison. Since both whiskies are available in Mauritius, I tried this comparison: Dewar’s White Label vs Famous Grouse blended whisky.
Tag: Edrington Page 1 of 4
Edrington, formerly known as The Edrington Group, is a privately owned international spirits company based in Scotland. Brands in their portfolio include: The Macallan Whisky, Highland Park Whisky, The Glenrothes Whisky, The Famous Grouse blended Whisky and
Naked Grouse blended malt Whisky
It’s been a while since my last encounter with Macallan whisky. The last time I tasted this whisky was in December 2019, when I compared the Macallan 15 year old single malt with the Glenfiddich 15 year old single malt. That tasting emptied my bottle, and I hadn’t revisited Macallan until recently when John brought home a bottle of The Macallan Quest single malt Scotch whisky.
Macallan, one of the original farm distilleries, became legally licensed in 1824 when Alexander Reid obtained a license following the 1823 Excise Act. Over the years, it has undergone several name and ownership changes and is now owned by Edrington. This distillery is classified as a Highland distillery.
The Macallan Quest was initially released for the Travel Retail market in 2018, replacing the 1824 Collection. It belongs to a four-bottle series that includes the Macallan Lumina, Macallan Terra, and Macallan Enigma Scotch whisky.
These are all single malt whisky limited edition releases. The Macallan Quest honours the journey of sourcing the finest oak. Macallan Quest is aged in four different types of casks.
These casks include bourbon, sherry-seasoned European oak, sherry-seasoned American oak, and hogsheads. Notably, it has no age statement.
The Macallan Quest Whisky Review
ABV: 40%
REGION: Highlands
COLOUR: Pale gold
NOSE: Soft and gentle with ripe mandarin and apricot notes sprinkled with vanilla sugar, toasted oak, and hints of a light spicy bite in the background.
PALATE: The fruitiness continues with ripe mandarin and dried fruit. There’s a spicy bite with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg notes mixed with caramel sweetness. Faint vanilla and woody oak appear as well.
While the individual notes are pleasant, they feel disjointed, as if they needed more time to blend. It has a light body and tastes very young. Adding water drowns out any sweetness and leaves it watery.
FINISH: Short and sweet, with spicy cinnamon and ginger mixed with oak and dried fruit.
RATING: GOOD
Overall, the Macallan Quest single malt is a bit bland and boring. It’s not the most complex whisky and feels very young. I barely finished my glass—not because it was terrible, but because it was unmemorable.
The Quest was the most affordable bottle in the series, priced around £ 55. In comparison, the Lumina retailed for around GBP 119, the Enigma for £ 260, and the Terra for £ 133 on Master of Malt. The entire series was a NAS (no age statement) release, and it is currently sold out.
When browsing Macallan whisky prices on Master of Malt, I noticed that of the 211 Macallan whisky bottles listed, only 3% fall in the £ 0-100 category, 5% in the £ 100-200 range, 19% in the £ 200-400 range, and a staggering 73% are priced above £400.
This means that most The Macallan releases are priced above £400. Are they really that drinkable and delicious, or is it just savvy marketing?
If I had £ 55 to spend on whisky, I’d instead buy a Glengoyle or a Glendronach, knowing I’d get something drinkable and delicious.
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Famous Grouse, a name that resonates with whisky aficionados worldwide, needs little introduction. Today, let’s delve into the Famous Grouse Bourbon Cask blended Scotch whisky.
With an impressive annual sale of 43 million bottles across more than 90 countries, Famous Grouse is one of the most accessible whisky brands. I can find it even here in Mauritius. Since 1980, it has held the title of Scotland’s highest-selling whisky brand, a testament to its enduring popularity.
Like many of its peers, Famous Grouse traces its origins back to a humble beginning in a local grocery store. Matthew Groag, the visionary behind the brand, embarked on a quest to craft his own premium blended whisky in the heart of Perthshire, Scotland.
Today, the Edrington Group is the torchbearer of his legacy; other whisky in their portfolio include Macallan and Highland Park whisky.
In 2018, the brand broadened its horizons by introducing two new cask-finished expressions. First was the Famous Grouse Bourbon Cask, the inaugural offering within the Cask Series. The Ruby Cask release, which undergoes a finishing process in port casks, joined its ranks soon afterwards.
The Bourbon Cask edition celebrates diverse oak influences, predominantly featuring whiskies aged in American Oak and first-fill bourbon casks. It is a NAS release.
The label is adorned by the iconic red Grouse, Scotland’s revered national game bird, which serves as a poignant symbol of heritage and tradition.
Priced at approximately R 290 in South Africa (€33.50 in Europe, £29 in the UK, and $25 in the USA), the Famous Grouse Bourbon Cask falls comfortably within the budget blend category. This is similar to the standard Famous Grouse retail price.
Also Read: The Top 5 Blends under R500
The Famous Grouse Bourbon Cask Whisky Review
ABV: 43%
COLOUR: Pale gold
NOSE: This is such a typical Famous Grouse nose. It’s fruity and sweet with notes of toasted oak, caramel, pepper, and vanilla. It’s lovely but not the most complex nose.
PALATE: The Famous Grouse Bourbon Cask starts quite spicy with lots of pepper, but after sipping two, it becomes sweeter. There are notes of oak, pepper, and caramel sweetness. Hints of vanilla and a tropical note are in the background. Water smooths the peppery spice, and it becomes very drinkable. It is easy to drink and smooth with a medium body.
FINISH: A medium length with caramel, oak and pepper.
RATING: VERY GOOD
It’s not the most complex dram, but we nevertheless made a dent in the bottle. It’s an uncomplicated dram for when you just want to relax.
Compared to the standard Famous Grouse whisky, the Bourbon Cask is spicier, with more toasted oak and caramel. The standard release has more cherries and candied fruit, while the fruit in the Bourbon Cask is more in the background.
The sweet note on the Bourbon Cask is more reminiscent of caramel, whereas on the standard Grouse, it is more of a honey sweetness. Both of these releases are easy drinking, and I can understand why this is the top-selling dram in Scotland.
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Many many years ago, a group of friends went for a holiday in Zimbabwe. We first stopped off in the rugged Eastern Highland for some trout fishing and then made our way up to Lake Kariba.
There we stayed in the Cutty Sark Hotel while exploring the beautiful dam and finding tiger fish. The name Cutty Sark always stayed with me and reminded me of fun times with good friends. When I saw a Cutty Sark blended Scotch whisky, I just had to have it.
I found the distinctive green bottle with the bright yellow label at Normal Good Fellows, and it was very affordable. Cutty Sark is a range of blended Scotch whisky produced by the Edrington Group. The base of Cutty Sark came from The Glenrothes distillery in the Speyside region of Scotland.
Other Edrington brands include the Macallan, Highland Park and The Famous Grouse.
The whisky was created on the 23rd of March 1923 by Francis Berry and Hugh Rudd, when they met with Scottish artist James McBey for lunch. They wanted to create a lighter style of blended whisky for the US market.
McBey suggests the name, as the famous tea clipper had recently been retired to England for naval training. The Cutty Sark blended Scotch whisky range also includes a Prohibition Edition that is bottled at 50% ABV. There was one little challenge before we could get to the tasting though; after opening the bottle, no liquid would come out.
The plastic thingie (flow regulator) inside the neck of the bottle only allowed 5 ml at a time. I had to break open the regulator to pour two glasses in a reasonable time.
Also Read: Naked Grouse whisky
Cutty Sark Whisky Review
ABV: 43%
COLOUR: Bright gold
NOSE: Cream, malt, spices, bits of fresh fruit with hints of vanilla.
PALATE: There is a bit of alcohol heat but not too bad. Malt, fruits, florals with vanilla and cinnamon. Adding a few drops of water allows the butterscotch sweetness to come forward. Faint hints of peppery oak.
FINISH: Lemon peel and pepper
RATING: VERY GOOD
Smooth, easy-drinking and non-offensive. Just a nice dram to enjoy. I see on the Cutty Sark website that they have a few cocktails perfect for Cutty Sark and with a dram this affordable but still drinkable; it is a great whisky to use in cocktails. My favourite cocktail on their list was the Cutty Buck.
Also Read: Black & White 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 in South Africa and about £21 on Amazon in the UK. It is readily available world wide.
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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