🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

[September, 2022] Together with good friends I emptied a bottle during this year's Speyside trip. This is an okay-ish priced young vatted malt without flaws. The profile is sherry-driven with the malt flavours in a walk-on role only but this is fine because the malt is still very young anyway. Given the price point of 35 GBP this is a good alternative for sherry lovers who are not able to spend a hell of bucks on single malts. A fine composition by Phil and Simon which is easy quaffable, my best guess is there is a significant share of Glenrothes in this vat. PS: If this is truly a 99% "tea-spooned" Macallan than: 1.) This one is better than all of the modern Macallan I had during the last ten years (sorry folks, I am not kidding) 2.) This one has nothing, absolutely nothing in common with the famous old Macallan profile which made this brand nicknamed as the "Rolls-Royce of Malt Whisky". In this case it is just a different (but neither bad nor exceptionally good) new distillery. By the way: Today I wanted to show the new Macallan distillery to some friends who visited the Speyside for the first time. But the main entrance door was closed so we could not drive even to the parking lot. I ringed the bell and asked for a visit but a rather arrogant voice told me that Macallan distillery is only open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays and if we want to visit the distillery during weekdays we have to buy a VIP ticket on the internet in advance. Later I found out such a VIP ticket costs several hundreds of GBP which told me all about what customer base this distillery targets. Not sure if this marketing concept of combining an old high-value brand name with an average-quality product (the malt of the modern Macallan distillery which has nothing in common with the old one) sold at an extraordinary price will work in the long run. But to be honest: I could not care less...

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2026/03/04/bottle-polishing-thompson-bros/ N: Whilst I find the SRV5 [coming up] more savoury and citric, TB/BSW is, by comparison, more on leathery sherry and raisins. We could throw in suggestions of mocha [a chocolate-flavoured variant of a caffè latte for the record], honeyed Plasticine, fruit-funky mud bombs, cherries & chalk, an earthy ginger/fruit-bound dry-grassy miso-based savoury sweetness,… and that’ll do us nicely. T: Raisins indeed, a little spelt flour, ginger [cake], dried petals,… a style rather reminiscent of those mature vintage Glenalbas floating around Lidl stores around ten+ years ago for peanuts [WLP]. The spice is keen and tidy with a malty sweetness, sherry casks providing influence without monopolising the limelight, the strength easily allowing room for some dilution. F: Malty salty citrus,… remains wonderfully youthful with a miso malty leathery side maintained. C: Variable day to day, but a solid go-to, we shall no doubt see cellared bottles opened in thirty years that we will marvel over and talk of a different ‘golden years’ era where the lamented TB/BSW could be picked up for sub £40. In the meantime, we shall enjoy them as intended. Drop in a little aged [50+ cognac, to enter an even more elevated realm.

There definitely is some batch variation: I am tasting batches 002, 008 and 009 in comparison, and the latter two are noticeably darker, maltier, more aromatic and slightly more woody. Usually with bottlings that are released as a series, the earliest batches are the best ones, to establish quality level & reputation, but in this case I actually prefer the more recent installment. Looking forward to trying more of these different batches!

What a surprise - no bad notes - clear price/performance recommendation for sherry lovers! Macallan / Glenrother or other - It doesn't really matter. But compared to the Double Cask / Triple Cask etc., which cost more than twice as much, this bottling is much better for me. If you like the sherry profile of the two distilleries, this blend is for you. And ideal for beginners.

S 8 Exceptional blend even disregarding the age. It has every flavour a good whisky should have, fruits, oak, malt, and spices. And look at the price, a solid house whisky. An unimportant FYI, I rated Peter Blake Macallan 80 points. [78-82] I'll gladly welcome another dram. N 25 Rich nose. Farmhouse. Wet malt. Damp oak. Dried berries & plums. Walnuts. Dark caramel. A whiff of milk chocolate. Slightly buttery. Smelling the youth if I dig my nose in but miles from being pungent. I guess there’s plenty of much older malt in this. P 26 Sherry driven. Fruits at the forefront, oak in the middle to enrich the body, and festive spices at the base to support. Very balanced. Again, chocolatey but darker. Heated malt. Raisin cake. A touch of sourish citrusy at the back. F 22 Short, fairly dry finish. Mostly drying oak. A pinch of peppery spices lingering.

All round delicious, no misses. 81 points.

I poured this as dram #8 on a “Holiday Mystery Whisky Advent Calendar,” and I had no idea what to guess on this whisky. It seemed to be obviously sherried, felt relatively mature and refined as the layers of flavor were largely subtle, and did not appear peated to any extent. I did correctly guess that there was sherry involved, and perhaps some of the blend elements were in that twenty-year age range, as all we know is the youngest components were six years. Either way, this was an incredibly cost-effective whisky, and I would highly recommend this to anyone on the lookout for an affordable and quaffable blend. I enjoyed the interplay between fruit and almost savory wood. Time and water unlocked additional layers of honey and more exotic or tropical fruits. It was a great whisky to sit with and slowly contemplate— yet it also felt like something fun to pour with friends when you want a whisky to accompany the social atmosphere of the evening or maybe even a few cigars. It felt versatile and well-suited to mindfulness and just zoning out. Overall, I thought this was lovely, and for the price, I do not believe you can do a lot better. Mental Image: Steakhouse Couture

Oh this is beautiful. For itself and at the pricing. I would say the awards are justified. Well done Phil & Simon! Detailed review in a flight of six blends/blended malts: https://keinehalbendrinks.de/2023/01/11/blends-in-nicely-4/

Great blend for this PLV.

Of course it surely tastes like more than just 6-year-old whisky. I'm not sure this is "tea-spooned" Macallan, but if you dilute Speyside(M) SV with decent amount of water then it reveals some similarities with TB/BSW. Anyway this is just my personal experience, but to me, this bottling looks like having some component of Macallan ; and if that is not the case, it still has surprising PLV - youi'll certainly experience more than what 40 euros can show.

Very smooth and varied for such a young blended Scotch. If it's true that the blended whiskey comes from Macallan, with the exception of a few drops, then that's a great alternative. Especially in terms of Macallan's price development. I don't notice grain at all and the sherry is completely in the foreground.

Compared to Batch 9 (WB235396). Batch 2 comes out on top.

Starts pretty good but unfortunately has some sulfury moments....

Quality and good bang for buck sherry cask blend. Does it match the hype? Certainly for a 6 yo blended malt it is well worth a try. Rich dark fruits, raisins, honey and chocolate. Slight gingerbread and spicy finish. A bit thin on the palate and slightly bitter young blend.

Thompson Brothers TB/BSW, 6 years old, 46%, NCF, natural colour. Mid-tone amber. Aroma - browned apple, mushrooms and then actually quite intensly souring, green apple, hint of play-dough and tomato plant. A muddled aroma for me – there’s a zesty, lime-like (but not quite) or green apple note that is discordant with the sherry and for me is just a bit weird. Plastic and pork with apple sauce – quite visceral, almost – like something discarded at the butcher’s. Mushrooms mixed with citrus. Tarnished metal, ozone, chlorine. Not for me at all. Nope. My wife said ‘chemicals’, ‘pine disinfectant’, ‘toilet cleaner’, and I can’t disagree. Body is lightly oily. Taste is pineapple cube sweets and that strange zesty note mixed with light sherry, green peppers and uncooked mushrooms. Very straight-forward on the palate, and again a bit off-the-wall for me. That tangy ‘green’ zesty note just takes over, and nothing harmonises with it. Then a bitterness to finish. Grim. I tried three pours in different glasses, which all went down the sink, so this is now the fifth pour from this 70cl bottle before the rest of it goes the same way (one last chance tomorrow). I actually suspect that this could be tainted. I did a lot of research and read a lot of reviews before committing to this purchase, and this has taught me a lesson I’ve been taught many times (and clearly it’s still not sinking in) – always, always, ALWAYS try before you buy! Other peoples’ opinions can be very different to your own. One of the worst purchases I’ve made, to my personal taste. Might be different for you! 60

It is very pleasant. The taste is young but mild and energetic. Dark berries, chocolate with raisins, cream cake with toffee, orange peel with spices and woodiness. The taste is warm, full and has an aftertaste. If the aging time is longer, I believe the sense of hierarchy will be richer!!!

For the money, this dram is hard to beat. No off-notes and easy drinking. PST have created a beautiful core blend, Slàinte!

Nose: sweet, slight note of cherry, somewhat musty/woody, slight grain note • Taste: sweet, light cherry, some pepper, some oak • Finish: short to medium-length, slightly peppery sweetness lingers for a moment • Conclusion: interesting mixture, grain content does not appear to be very high, price/performance fits.

We’re jamming’ Blind time. Off we go. On the nose and it’s a funny smell. I need two noses. I’m being pulled left and right. On one hand I’m tugged along by a light bourbon-like vanillin gloved hand and then the other is tugging me toward toffee, custard and sodden cardboard. It comes together more as it warms up. Mmmm. Nice. Let it sit and expand out of the glass. 5 mins well spent. Call me weird but getting notes of Macallan? Nah. In the mouth and it’s sweet, like the sweetness in Waterford early releases. Custard cremes and light syrups, peach tea, drying oak, white pepper, astringency and ginger. Toffee. Feint sherry. Black tea. Strong stuff, probably needs water but life can move pretty quick. After a dram the drying effect persists but the balance with the delicate light flavours makes the experiment work. Liking this a lot but it’s a whisky to drink on your own in case you fly by the quieter details. ——————————- Blind revealed. Hard to argue with that! Nice young whisky. Sensible price. Bursting with flavour and texture. No brainer.

Nose is excellent, the taste and finish is a little flat in comparison - still a great whiskey. Bang for the buck.

Excellent price/quality ratio!

Round and tasty. An absolute hit for less than 40 euros.

On the one hand, it smells and tastes like the 12-year-old Macallan Sherry Oak, and on the other hand, the story behind it sounds pretty believable. Among other things, the bottle says "Rested and Bottled in Dornoch" but it doesn't say "Blended in Dornoch" like the SRV5, for example.

Appearance: Medium to deep amber. Nose: Sherry. Raisins, fresh plums, brown sugar, wine cellar. Touch of cinnamon and cherry. Palate: Sweet sherry, chocolate, plum and raisin, maple syrup, cinnamon. Finish: Cinnamon and ginger spice, vanilla, dried fruits, citrus. With Water: Flavors really jump out, juicy and spicy, fruity and rich. Overall: Shows a lot of depth and maturity for such a young blend. Sherry is quite bold. Malt is quite rich. As they say, it does remind me of the blends of the past. A bit pricy though. They are truly showing what a young premium blend can be.

I thought it could be a Macallan. In the end taste matters, not the name. It convinced me. It is a dry and sweet malt.

Considering the price, really bloomin’ good!

Aroma: Very sweet, almost honey, not maltose anymore, with a hint of smoke and sherry cask. Taste: The body is quite round, but not very flavorful, though not very alcoholic. It has few off-flavors, primarily maltose with a touch of smoke. Finish: Short, smoky and malty, slightly bitter, not very complex.

In a blind tasting, I estimated it to be about 15 years old. After several tastings, however, the alcohol and a possible youthfulness are noticeable at the beginning. Nevertheless, there are nice sherry notes, more toward caramel than fruit. A good finish and aftertaste (again, caramel and oak). Excellent value for money.

Aroma: Initial rubber note that blows off, vanilla and a variety of dried fruit--apple, citrus/orange peel, papaya/guava, honey Flavor: Sweet, light-bodied fruit syrup initially then turns into a richer, denser dried tropical fruit, plum, and honey. Finish: Lingering dried fruit sweetness. Understated wood in the background. Comment: Could the grain portion of the blend be significantly older than the malt? The grain seems to play a supporting role here -- really a very well done blended Scotch. This is fun to compare to their SRV5 blended malt for the contrast.

Sherry bomb....good price....I recommend