The idea of a blended whisky makes sense: Blend multiple differently made whiskies together, make something better. We do that with food: You don’t see someone mainlining mayonnaise and demanding it to be drunk purely because it’s better. Granted I haven’t been to the US in half a decade, so maybe that’s happening down there.
However, like most things, someone figured out the lowest amount of effort required and sold that. So they added cheaper grain whiskies, left the age statement off them, lowered the alcohol down, and probably more horrible things I haven’t even learned yet.
Thus I’m excited when someone releases a blend worth trying. Something worth buying. And started using the term “blended malt” again, meaning no grain. Heck, let’s have an age statement and a vintage too.
No, this isn’t a review of another Compass Box, today we’re discussing Blended Malt 19 2001 Thompson Bros. There are rumours about exactly this: The main one being it’s sourced from Edrington stocks. There’s most likely older than 2001 whiskies in this blend.
So if it is from Edrington, that means it’s a blend of Macallan, Glenrothes, Glenturret (sold to Lalique in 2019 but owned by Edrington when this was blended), Highland Park and many others. Or maybe this sherry cask matured blend wasn’t meant to become a Famous Grouse, or any other type of bird.
A low proof would mean it was blended to ensure it could still be called a whisky, rather than when it’s below 40% and we call it “go juice” or “just being sad”.
Anyway, how does this taste? Let’s see, shall we?
Price: $80
Region: Blend
Vintage: 2001
Bottled: 2021
Cask type: Sherry Cask Matured
Number of bottles: 434
Abv: 44.2%
Colour: 2.5YR 3/8
Nose: Currant, blackberry, peach, lemon, cloves
That’s a lot of fruit. It goes from rich to tart and I’m pretty sure drinking this is ensuring I don’t catch a cold as summer dies down.
Oh, sorry, I’m writing this as an older person when summer ending meant it was getting colder, before we skull fucked the climate: The cold sometimes brought with it disease, versus disease just being a normal we’re used to now.
Very fruity! Bit of clove near the end.
Taste: Blueberry, caramel, blood orange, milk chocolate
Fruit and chocolate work nicely. Citrus and chocolate? It’s the devil, and I’ll be taking no further comments. Welcome to my Ted Talk. Also fuck Terry with a regular orange.
My obvious bias aside, it’s fruity, sweet, somewhat tart at times. It’s not going to blow your mind, and we really don’t know what went in here, but it’s really sweet and it needs a bit more acidity or spice to balance it out.
Finish: Mineral, nutmeg, fruit juice, cereal, raisin
Oh fewf, mineral flavour shows up. Aka things I didn’t think I’d ever say in my life. Lots of sherry influence beyond that, but at least there’s a cereal note to differentiate this.
So this sherry was nice, when are we trying the whisky that was in it? Oh? Wait, what? This joke doesn’t work in the written form? I should just bluntly say it’s so wet the front row of whatever orca torture stadium that is near you is worried they don’t have enough protection? Ok.
Conclusion: Nice sherry cask whisky from a cask wetter than Megan Thee Stallion in a Monsoon. Very fruity. Extremely fruity. You’re not going to buy this and think “Wow, that complex inexpensive 19-year-old whisky was amazing!” You’re going to buy this and enjoy an inexpensive fruit bomb of a whisky.
You may be able to pretend it’s not overproof sherry, but you’re lying to yourself and me and that’s just not cool bro. It’s tasty, it’s nice, and if it is an Edrington blend cask, it’s not bad. We’re lucky to get some of them.
80/100
Scotch review #1601, Blend review #135, Whisky Network review #2328
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