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McClellands Islay
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£14
$31.85(CAD)
$20(USD)
Another week come and gone on the malt mission and my eyes (third eye?) still burn from celebrating the Drammie win on Wednesday. I understand yours might, too.
Today we will have the final malt in the regional series from McClelland's, whiskies created to represent four regions of whisky production available in many global markets and priced fairly.
Can you name all distilleries currently in operation on Islay? *
For all McClelland's had on the mission, click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Earthy, tarry, some chamomile and clementine skins. Gentle smoke, mineral like mud, and a touch of dog poo.
Soft and smoked, like dutch cheese. Burnt bits of pizza crust, with a lovely core of honey and chocolate, Toblerone. Long charred finish, like crispy belly of pork or burnt cheese dripping out the side of a calzone or something.
SUMMARY:
The angriest of the McClelland's lot, but still quite easy drinking and packs more punch than its price point. A little sweet, a little thin, and a little dirty... brings back memories of teenagehood... A good cheap whisky for that Islay mood.
* - Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin, Laphroaig.
Malt Mission #251
Malt Mission #252
Malt Mission #253
Malt Mission #254
Malt Mission HOME
McClelland's Speyside
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
40%
£14
$31.85(CAD)
$20(USD)
Thanks for your emails, posts, messages and comments of congratulations on winning the Drammie. No, thank you. No, thank YOU. But no, thank YOU!
Actually, I am totally BLOWn away that you have been so HARD ON me with such PENETRATING comments. Puns intended, you perverts. I really never thought the SEMI-nudity would be the issue (there's more nudity on tube/subway, newspaper/magazine and TV adverts!!!). I thought there would be anoraks writing "Um, Drammies is plural, DrammY is singular", and "that liquid is too light for Talisker", "too dark for Grant's", etc. Whatever. I think the pics are hilarious and thank K for a fun night of shooting them.
Continuing with our THANKS FOR VOTING week, tasting our way through 4 affordable, entry-level malt whiskies for everyone's budget and palate. Today is the Speyside representative, tomorrow will be the Islay, and next week we will have some celebratory malts. For all McClellands had on the Malt Mission click HERE.
Speyside is a wonderful region of whisky production, too often overlooked by whisky drinkers who get captivated by the intense flavours of Islay and never return to mainland. But for those that do, there are some absolute gems to be discovered in this region of over FIFTY(50) distilleries. Subtle, complex, with great diversity, sometimes even with the same water and barley sources(!), Speyside whiskies are far from boring.
The watercolour paintings on each bottle were painted by British artist, John Caldwell.
TASTING NOTES:
Very aromatic and estery with a bready, malty core. Apricots, lillies, kiwis, synthetic banana. Fruit essence shampoo, Jolly Ranchers, icing sugar, petroleum jelly/Vaseline, and french toast.
Gentle impact with a nice rounded flavour, if a bit perfumy. Russet apples, Ritz crackers, golden syrup before an eruption of oak, walnuts and chocolate truffles followed by a bit of UHU, and a tingling, slowly drying effect. Finish is more made up of sensations than flavours.
SUMMARY:
The nose on all three of these McClellands malts so far have been really quite impressive. But they have also all failed to match that performance on the palate. Perfectly good whisky that is pleasant to sip and distinctly different than the other regional selections in the series.
Malt Mission #251
Malt Mission #252
Malt Mission #253
Malt Mission #255
Malt Mission HOME
McClelland's Highland
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£14
$31.85(CAD)
$20(USD)
Goodbye Castro, Goodbye Musharraf. The world is changing but the Doctor keeps on sipping... Winners of 2007 Drammies to be announced today.
Today we'll have another whisky in the regional series from McClellands. All expressions can (eventually) be seen HERE. This one is the representative of the Highland region, including islands of Orkney, Mull, Skye, Arran, Jura but NOT Islay, which is classed as a region unto itself both by McClellands labels and by the Scotch Whisky Association.
As these releases are called SINGLE MALT whiskies, they are not vatted or blended or mixed, they are each products of just one Lowland, Speyside, Highland, and Islay distillery. So what are the distilleries in McClelland's malts? As Morrison Bowmore (Suntory) owns distilleries in three of these regions, it is a safe guess that the Lowland is Auchentoshan, the Islay Bowmore, the Highland Glen Garioch, and the Speyside ... ? Will hazard a guess when I taste it tomorrow.
TASTING NOTES:
A gentle spice leads with some savory notes and opens up into creme brullée, fruit yogurt, and vanilla.
Soft initially, but firms up mid-palate with cardboard and dairy sweetness, some ginger, paprika, cucumber skin and parsley. Quite a long aftertaste with some more papery notes and tea biscuits, and halva.
SUMMARY:
Nice, easy to drink, with just a slight edge. Simple, even plain, but wholly enjoyable with good highland characteristics of spice and body.
Malt Mission #251
Malt Mission #252
Malt Mission #254
Malt Mission #255
Malt Mission HOME
McClelland's Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
40%
£15
$31.85(CAD)
$20(USD)
Tomorrow (Wednesday) Kevin Erskine of Inebrio and The Scotch Blog will announce the 2007 winners of his people's choice awards, The Drammies. Dr. Whisky was a nominee for best new product and I want to thank all of you folks out there who voted. So this week, in gratitude, we will have whiskies "of the people," no single casks, no £100 bottles, no limited editions. This week we will taste our way through the popular and affordable regional malt whiskies from McClellands.
McClellands single malts are produced by Morrison Bowmore distillers and are the first stop for many budgeted whisky travellers the world over. We have had the whiskies from Ian Macleod Distillers who also do a regional entry-point series (see HERE).
These are single malt whiskies for people who are new to the world of single malt whisky or who are not prepared to spend more than thirty bucks on a bottle of booze. They are gentle drams that are chosen to be representative of the diversity of each region of production AND they are not expensive enough to deter potential buyers from taking the plunge.
TASTING NOTES:
Gentle and juicy. Apple pie, bubblegum, soft spice of cloves and cinnamon.
Nothing on tip of tongue, all in the back. Strange, but very easy to drink as the impact is so gentle. Grassy, dandelions, tea, even some milk, and a lingering woodiness.
SUMMARY:
Very passive in its expression of flavours, if you know what I mean. A more blunt way to describe it would be "flat." Loved the juicy nose. Very friendly and a great way to enter the world of Scottish whisky... from the south.
Malt Mission #251
Malt Mission #253
Malt Mission #254
Malt Mission #255
Malt Mission HOME
