Anyone who knows me knows that I’m openly positive towards blended whisky, so today it’s time for a proper deep dive. Over the years I’ve received various blended samples from different friends, which I’ve finally gathered into a line-up. So: five older blended whiskies, and after tasting and writing my notes I’ve read up on the bottlings so you get a short summary for each. Kind of me, right? Let’s get into it!
Haywards Fine Whisky, 42.8%
Info: An Indian blended whisky produced by Shaw Wallace (now part of United Spirits/Diageo). It is primarily sold on the Indian market in various bottle sizes. It is based on a blend of grain spirit (“extra neutral alcohol”) and flavourings, sometimes with a small amount of imported whisky. Interesting!
Nose: Very green. Lots of sweet liquorice, very young, and quite a bit of acetone. Like smelling a whiteboard marker with liquorice. There’s also something I’ve never really encountered in whisky before – it leans towards that liqueur you drank as a student, something like Licor 43. Not particularly positive.
Palate: Oh dear. It tastes 100% like melted vanilla ice cream with very synthetic blueberry jam. Very strange, and not good at all. Had I tasted this blind, I would never have guessed whisky. It’s just sweet, and definitely not in a good way. I try again… and it’s just as bad. It reminds me of a student pre-party years ago where someone mixed Licor 43, blueberry soup and whipped cream into a shot. It tastes exactly like that. Hard to recommend under any circumstances.
Finish: The best thing about the finish is that it’s very short. Microscopically short. A bit of synthetic vanilla lingers, like after soft serve. Then nothing.
Director’s Special Whisky, 42.8%
Info: Another Indian blended whisky from United Spirits (formerly Shaw Wallace), mainly intended for the domestic market. It is typically bottled at around 42.8%, which is standard for many spirits in India. Like many other Indian “whiskies”, it is based on a blend of neutral grain spirit and a smaller proportion of matured whisky.
Nose: Almost no aroma at all. Slightly spirity, slightly herbal. Like weak acetone mixed with a few drops of absinthe. A bit of vanilla in the background. Leans more towards a light aniseed schnapps than whisky.
Palate: Synthetic pear, like pear soda. A bit of vanilla, a hint of liquorice sweets. Otherwise nothing. Extremely anonymous. Completely harmless, but also completely pointless.
Finish: Very short. Possibly a hint of banana. Drinkable, but I wouldn’t have guessed whisky blind. At least it doesn’t feel like a liqueur.
Catto 12 Year Old, Scottish Highland Whisky, bottled in the 1960s? for the Italian market, 43%
Info: A blended Scotch from Catto’s, one of the older names in the category with roots going back to the 19th century. This type of bottling (12 years old and aimed at export markets) was apparently quite common in the 1960s. Unlike many modern blends, older Catto’s bottlings often contain a higher proportion of malt whisky. Bottling at 43% was also a common standard for higher-quality expressions at the time.
Nose: Initially quite interesting – malty and slightly spicy. Then a distinct note of sulphur, like boiled egg. Letting it sit in the glass helps a bit. After that, some sweeter notes appear, something reminiscent of slightly tart red wine and oak. Not a great nose, but clearly better than the two previous ones. At least it smells like whisky, even if the bar has perhaps been lowered somewhat.
Palate: Sweet. Lots of oak, lots of honey and quite a bit of spice. White pepper and clove, along with a fairly pronounced honeyed sweetness. This works, absolutely.
Finish: Short but relatively pleasant. Clove lingers. Not the best whisky I’ve had, but certainly drinkable. I could have another glass, though I might avoid going straight in on the nose next time to skip that initial sulphury puff. Not wow, but perfectly alright.
Label 5 Blended Scotch Whisky, Classic Black, 40%
Info: A blended Scotch from La Martiniquaise, one of the larger players in blended whisky in Europe. Label 5 is a volume brand with wide international distribution. Classic Black is a variant in the range and is supposedly a bit smokier or more powerful than the standard release (not something I noticed at all when tasting it). The base is grain whisky with some malt, aiming for consistency and drinkability rather than complexity.
Nose: A bit different compared to the rest. Fairly sweet and spicy. Reminiscent of PX cask whisky, but without the depth. Lots of liquorice sweets and a sweetness that almost veers into liqueur territory. Becomes sweeter with time in the glass. Caramelised sugar, vanilla sugar, almost like vanilla syrup.
Palate: Young, fairly classic in style but quite spirity. Apple, pear drops and a rather synthetic confectionery sweetness. Burnt sugar and vanilla. Not much else. Perhaps a touch of white pepper.
Finish: Very short, essentially non-existent. Disappears immediately. Drinkable, but quite uninteresting. Not bad, just very simple and young.
Seagram’s Royal Stag, 42.8%
Info: An Indian blended whisky from Pernod Ricard, launched in the 1990s and one of the best-selling whisky brands in India. It belongs to the category of Indian “whisky”, meaning that, like the others tasted tonight, it consists of a blend of neutral grain spirit and a smaller proportion of matured whisky (e.g. imported Scotch malt).
Nose: Smells mostly like cleaning products – not perfume, but more like a freshly run dishwasher. Some green, grassy notes and a bit of floral character. Also something that leans towards granola. Not particularly good, but still more promising than some of the others in the line-up.
Palate: Sweet and fairly simple. Shortbread, marshmallows and French nougat, with a slight almond note. A bit spirity, which together with the sweetness gives a slight liqueur-like impression. Very easy to drink, mostly because it tastes of very little. Not unpleasant, but almost nothing.
Finish: Very short. A bit of blackcurrant leaf, a touch of vanilla and icing sugar. Then it’s gone.
Summary:
Despite this trauma, I still like blended whisky. I’ve realised two things: older Scotch blends can offer surprisingly more flavour compared to modern, more streamlined whisky, and I will do my absolute best to avoid questionable Indian blends at all costs going forward.
