Malt Mission 2007 #16

White Horse
Fine Old Blended Whisky
40% abv
£14

The namesake of this whisky is an old pub just ouside the old city walls on the Canongate in Edinburgh. Peering up and down the nearby closes/alleyways you can sense where lodgers would keep their horses in centuries past. Peter Mackie was the man behind the whisky that boasted high malt content and advocated the use of aged whiskies. They were the first to adopt the screwcap. In years past, Lagavulin was a big part of the blend but today, that is pretty unlikely. You can also find old bottlings of Glen Elgin that say "White Horse Distillers Glen Elgin." From what I gather neither Lagavulin nor Glen Elgin are guaranteed to be in the blend, but other great whiskies like Glenlossie, Linkwood, Clynelish and Talisker (for smoke) are still used to create this classic. Old bottlings are much sought after and when you see these bottles they emit an aura of value. Who knows if the current stuff is anywhere as good as it is reputed to have been.

TASTING NOTES:

Ah, this has the good old fashioned "this is whisky" character. Digging deeper I can find yeast, brown sugar, glue, some smoke, pickled onions, and olives. Oak.

Before swallowing, the taste in the mouth is a licorice saltiness with a bit of peat. Swallowing delivers a taste that is sweet and simple. Grain whisky. Nothing too complex. Vanilla. Turns a little oaky with salt and licorice returning. Medium finish. Drying.

SUMMARY:

Not always easy to find, this stuff isn't all bad. In many ways you get what you pay for. But for what you pay, I would get something else. Worth noting that this is the whisky I used in the Whisky Tasting video in the hope that it would cost me the least to dish out AND would get the most foul faces. This was not the case and MANY people liked it a lot.
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