BotB Round 1 Part 2

With great hesitation and distain, ScotchBlog.ca once again endured the Glasgow Special, perhaps one of the least costly blended scotches available at the LCBO.  A bump on the noggin and a chipped tooth later, Te Bheag stomped Whyte and McKay in a landslide victory with a unanimous vote of seven nil. 

Whyte and McKay's nose was sharp, hot and smelled of sweet, yet sour, solvents. Initial impressions after tasting ranged from: "Just awful!" "Pure blackout juice" and that it smelled "like a combination of Windex and Mr.Clean." 

The Glasgow Special was all around offensive, grainy, slightly musty with sour sherry sweetness and a hot, cloying, finish.

 

Te Bheag was also kind of a rough scotch but we all decided that it had an overall better structure. The nose of peat, pencil eraser, smoke and oak was replayed on the palate and mediated by its toffee sweetness. Hot and slightly grainy, Te Bheag still tasted much smoother than its rival and had a better finish. 

 

 

 

 

Vote 6-0: Winner Grant's Sherry Cask Reserve 

Grant's Sherry Cask won the battle handily. It's a bit hot on the nose but can be drunk easily with or without water. Sherry sweetness predominates on the palate accompanied by candied fruit, the unmistakeable Grant's sweetness, and a touch of leather and smoke. While the finish is bit hot and dry compared to the Grant's Family Reserve, it's by no means offensive and is generally improved with a splash of water. 

Bell's was both sweet and hot and desperately needs a splash of water or better yet, an ice cube. Although Bell's was generally seen as similar to Grant's Family Reserve in terms of flavour profile, it tastes grainier, has a thinner mouthfeel and is much rougher and hotter on the finish, somewhat like the mouthfeel of stale beer and smoke.