🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

This is an older bottle and older bottles contain some single malts from closed distilleries, this one is no exception as it contains the single malt Glenlossie and Knockdhu  which were one of the main constituents.

Open a bottle of 1960's blend and be very surprised about this tasty dram. But don't leave the bottle open too long, it loses a lot of finesse and body rather quickly.

Balance sheet (21) It is not bad (83)

For testing and tasting, I have chosen my favorite mixed Queen Anne as a direct rival.

This is even a tad better than the Dimples of the same era in my book, as it has way more layers and offers some complexity, especially the nose is something that keeps you occupied and guessing for some time. A nice mouthfeel with a firm and oily body with a good balance and some depth just add up. As for the moldy note in the finish, honestly, sometimes it showed up, sometimes it didn't, but if it did, it prolonged the finish altogether, but it was rather unpleasant, but that could probably just be the case with my particular bottle. Sadly the finish doesn't hold up in general to the nose and taste (as usual with blends), otherwise I would gladly stock up on this stuff. Do not forget to add a few drops of water, it works without, but it feels a little uptight and opens up nicely with it's addition. That candy weirdness is simply amazing! This tasting note belongs to a bottle imported by Schneider Import Germany, 750 ml and 43% abv, presumably from the early to mid '70s.

Unmistakably average It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the never ending releases of thunderously good scotch or inaugural launches from new distilleries that pop up hither and thither. As such, I find myself being inexorably drawn to older things, to a simpler time, to escape the constant or barrage of modern whisky. Not because the new stuff is no good, far from it, more for a bit of a rest from the endless clamour. And here we are, hiding out with a bottle from a brand that used to be one of the biggest and most recognised whisky brands in the world. A blend, a workaday whisky, made by the oldest whisky distillers in the world, in part made up from Linkwood and Glenkinchie and, no doubt some other malts to pad it out and 60% grain whisky. It’s the antithesis of everything modern and special and limited edition and collectible. This is edifyingly unspecial, blue collar, pocket friendly and designed to be consumed rather than coveted. And weirdly, older bottles now change hands for 3 figure sums without a stretch, for those wanting to taste a slice of whisky days gone by. Pre 1950’s bottles command a premium but bottlings from the 60s to the 80’s are readily available for pennies. This one is from the late 1970’s at a guess, possibly very early 1970s, no internet details on the bottle. Who knows, who cares. One delightful and unexpected bonus - it’s bottled at 43%. Let’s get to it. On the nose and it’s funny how similar it is in certain ways to it’s posher cousin, Dimple (Pinch for you yanks). Straight off the bat and it’s a veritable handful of rotten apples, old boiled fruit sweets, toffee apples, cardboard, mace, a wayward curry leaf. It’s a mushy affair but time in the glass does it justice, of sorts. 15-20 mins sitting about and there’s a sweet sherry note that reveals itself, the mushy fruit becomes dried ginger, still handfuls of old fruit sweets, more woody, baked apple pie with well cooked pastry. Some white pepper and that wayward curry leaf is just there, it ain’t moving. And a stray pickled walnut. Tangy and musty all together. A big, nose in the glass inhale and, for a relatively lowly 43% it feels much fuller. It’s mentholated and mustard seeds, a little faint cooked meat and baked lemon that fell in a fire. Delicate wood smoke. Toffee. Salt and varnish. To be fair, as weird and as unappealing it is when first poured, it becomes increasingly more interesting the longer it sits. At 40% this would have needed a rope ladder to get out of the glass but the 43% gives it a much needed leg up. This should be terrible but I’m loving it’s basic basicness. Is that a thing? In the mouth and the promise of the nose can’t quite live up to the expectations. But boy, it does try. This is the dram that does the job of tasting like a reasonable blended whisky. Light and thin as it starts (all aboard the grain train!) but there’s a little oiliness (more that you would ever expect or give it credit for), thickness? white pepper, that bloody curry leaf again!, oak, a gingery bitterness, baked apple skins, soft smoke and a bitter lemon peel and salt. There’s a sweetness to the proceedings too, thinned down honey, some icing sugars in there, a little thinned down fruit syrup. More toffee. This is a bit good. It’s a moderately spicy finish which is quite pleasant but it’s more heat that any particular flavour. No doubt this stuff has been the backbone of bars in foreign lands helping fuel costa del hangovers since the package holiday was born. It feels like it would work well with ice and there’s no doubt it would mix well with whatever you chucked at it. In days gone by (pre war) I don’t doubt it was a blend with more balls and bite but it no doubt evolved into something lighter to fit modern tastes. So, is it any good? Yes and no, this is knockabout stuff that the more demanding scotch anorak will probably never bother with but, there’s something worth digging for in them thar hill’s. To be sure it’s not gold you’ll unearth, no matter how much the label demands you believe otherwise, but as a wander into the whisky days of the past it’s an interesting trip and worth the ticket price.