BotB - Round 1, Part 3

Vote 6-1: Winner Dewar's White Label

Dewar's won by a vote of 6 to 1. The lone dissenting voice was Sean who, at the time, had a cold and whose palate must have been destroyed by mucous. At least that's the story he's going with now....

It's worth noting that this wasn't exactly a vote of confidence for Dewar's White Label, it was merely the "best" of two bad whiskies.

On the nose, Dewar's elicited a response of "old stale ale fail". Sweet grainy and muddled flavours on the palate combined with a thin and watery mouthfeel which was underpinned by a brief, hot and unsatisfying finish. A splash of water mellowed the heat a touch but didn't bring any new flavours or aromas to prominence.

While Dewar's was a passable drink, Johnnie Walker Red Label was foul and would only be served to those guests who are: not friends, too drunk to notice what they are drinking, or are going to ruin their whisky anyway by mixing it with cola. Redolent with smoke, salt, and "tacked on" grainy sweetness, this whisky is rough from start to finish. Oily, peaty and salty sweetness linger long into the finish which seems to cloy with heat. You are definitely going to need a couple of ice cubes or a generous helping of water to mellow out the dram. As Robin so aptly put it: "Any scotch whisky which cannot stand alone without ice is not whisky at all!"

Keep walking past this bottle on the LCBO shelves. There are better offerings to be sure.

Match 8

Vote: 7-0 Winner: Grant's Family Reserve We all like Grant's Family Reserve. In fact it makes a very regular appearance to supplement our piggins at our meetings, which is why it got high seeding against Teachers Highland Cream.

Grant's won the day handily. We've found it to be a great all occasion blend though its a little bit like grocery store birthday cake: sweet, malty and reliable - everyone likes it. Cereal sweetness with gentle smoke and hints of peat. Although it's somewhat oily and hot in the finish it's well-tempered by a splash of water which also brings out some fruity aromas as well.

Teacher's on the other hand wasn't a bad dram, however it's flavours were muddled in heat. On the nose, malty sweetness with spicy and biting solvent overtones. An interesting mouthfeel: oily, thick, and sweet before heading to a medium-long and dry finish. A few drops of water mellow out the palate to reveal honey, spice and smoke? Perhaps this malt would have fared better against another competitor? It's worth mentioning that in an effort to "feel the cream" Robin doused his Teacher's with table cream to make a bastard son of Athol Brose, which is not recommended for general consumption.