BotB - Round 1, Part 4

Match 7

Vote 5-1: Winner Grant's Ale Cask

Synopsis: On the blind tasting Cutty Sark was voted out based on the nose alone. The resounding impression (except for the lone dissenter) is that we will not tolerate sweaty mezcal aromas in our scotch. Cutty Sark starts off sweetly with cocoa before turning aggressively hot. Finishing with pervasive and harsh oaky heat, this whisky is made for those who like it rough and cheap.

By contrast, the Grant's Ale Cask was a gentler dram with a light citrus and toffee on the nose. The sweet malty taste of Grant's Family Reserve is flattened a bit and the mouthfeel is more viscous than the original. The finish kind of falls flat but it was a welcome relief from the roughness of the Cutty Sark.

Match 8 

AKA GROUSE LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP  (Advance tickets available)

Vote 4-2: Winner Black Grouse

[Editor's note: This matchup surprised us. We submit to you that when we originally set the bracket, our team voted for each bottle individually. From this original ranking, the bracket was formed by matching #1 and #16, #2 and #15, #3 and #14, etc. as per convention. Despite their distant ranks, The Famous Grouse and The Black Grouse happened to be matched up and we were obligated to maintain the integrity of the system.]

Synopsis:  Black Grouse carried the day; it's depth of flavour and light smokey notes were preferred over the Famous Grouse's enjoyable, albeit, straight-forward taste. The Black differed from Famous with its light smoke and sweet malty aromas. It also had a sweet and light-bodied taste consisting chiefly of cereal malt, spice and toffee.

On the nose, Famous was sweet and malty with some floral notes. The Famous tasted hotter and thinner on the palate and finished unremarkably. The sweetness was somewhat reminiscent of Grant's Family Reserve but with an oilier mouthfeel. The finish displayed hints of smoke, and ale. Dissenters felt the Famous was more drinkable or more approachable, but the Black had an edge on the complexity of the palate. Had Famous been pitted against another whisky, it had potential to make the second round. Technically speaking, you could choose either of these and be happy with your purchase.