"Come on!" you say, "I'm broke! What about all the cheap scotches? Are they garbage or what?"
Well, that's the question I intend to address today. Sort of.
When I talk cheap scotches, I talk of the types that you see at every bar, the "house" scotch they grab for mixed drinks. The drinks they bring you in Vegas for free whilst gambling. I have tasted a few and will address 2 of them specifically while mentioning others.
Here are the cheap-o scotches I have tasted:
Johnnie Walker Red Label $18
Dewar's White Label $18
Chivas Regal $20
Cutty Sark $20
J & B Scotch $22
Trader Joe's Highland Malt $16
There are several more amongst this price range, but these are what I have had.
Firstly, I will say that Glenfiddich 12 and Glenlivet 12 are in the price range but are certainly not cheap-o. They are cheap and lacking in comparison with other single malts, but they are leagues better than any of the aforementioned.
All of the aforementioned scotches are blended except the Trader Joe's. Blends are cheaper to produce because you can make vast quantities by adding grain whiskies. Obvious from a business standpoint. These cheap-o blends tend to be light, strong alcohol flavor, hints of smoke, but generally that's it. You can tell it's a scotch though!
I will separate the JW Red Label.
Red Label is the lowliest of Jw and it shows. However, although you can taste the alcohol (which is a sign of immaturity), it still retains the qualities of JW: smoke, smoothness, a bit of cream, and slight nuttiness. Red Label is very light because of its 8 year age. The age on a blend marks the youngest whisky in the blend (that means it could be blended with older whiskies). Red Label is LOVELY for making Scotch and Coke. Man, that drink is tasty. I highly recommend it. Red Label melds well into the Coke where the alcohol flavors disappear. I had a scotch and Coke in Vegas with Dewar's...and it was miserable. Nearly undrinkable if I wasn't trying to continue my inebriation.
But the only single malt here is the Trader Joe's Highland Single Malt. I actually was given a blind taste by my girlfriend's father,. eager to test my palate. I figured highland, less than $20. BOOM! In research, it is bottled by Trader Joe's and taken from the Tullibardine Distillery in Aberdeen Scotland. Owned by the Alexander Murray Co, they sell large volumes of whiskies and vodkas to other companies for bottling. http://alexandermurray.com/production.html This is a common practice, but usually more reputable distilleries oblige. Battle Hill Whisky takes leftovers from many distilleries and ages them one extra year before bottling. You get Macallan 19, Lagavulin 17, Aberlour 16, and other nodd year marking. Costco often does this (Kirkland brand). It seems an easy way to get a high-end scotch for a severely reduced price! Well, my Battle Hill tastes have been less than stellar. It seems that the ones who know their product best are the distilleries themselves.
Go figure.
Back to the TJ Highland 10 year old. For a cheap scotch, it's pretty good.
Color: Pale yellow/gold
Nose: Straw, floral, slightly biscuity
Taste: light, slightly smoky, and...nothing much else
Finish: bitter
Really, when compared to any other single malt, it falls flat. The taste doesn't match the nose, and the aftertaste is bitter and short. However...for the price, you can't go wrong. My hip flask is full of the TJ Highland 10. Good for a mix drink, and it has some sort of character as opposed to the bland, awful blends like Dewar's.
If I reccomend cheap scotches, I would drink...
JW Red Label
Chivas Regal
Trader Joe's Highland 10
Stay away from J&B, Dewar's, and Cutty Sark (even for mixed drinks). You won't regret the extra buck spent on a drink you can sip without regret.
No comments:
Post a Comment