Blending Tennessee Rye with Peated Single Malt Scotch to create a World Whiskey.
It sits outside the rules of both camps and would annoy the ‘traditionalists’ – which is another reason for me to love it before even tasting the liquid!
But as it contains rye whiskey & peated whisky – both styles I enjoy – it would appear to be a ‘no-brainer’ for me to purchase.
So I did.
Packaged in an attractive medicine bottle the whiskey exudes a cheeky fun quality.
Pours a rich golden brown.
Smoking nose!
Very inticing.
Fairly mild start to the palate – do find a sherry finish mutes some of the stronger smoky elements with a sweet veneer – before that smoke – finding it more ‘smoked’ than ‘peated’ – shines through.
There is a tingling dryness on the finish – but can’t work out if that’s the peat or rye?
I often experience a similar finish with many a peated whiskey so wonder what the rye element is actually bringing to this fine blend.
Burnt Ends does float my boat however.
A fun & extremely satisfying whiskey to sip & savour!
When in Anstruther I usually pick up a few bottles in the Wee Couper Of Fife Whisky Shop.
They have a varied selection of miniatures – mainly for the tourist trade – as well as single cask bottlings for the aficionados.
I enjoy sampling the miniatures myself – so picked up a pair of themed minis from the Cumbrae Supply Co.
The Jockey & The Fisherman sport stylised images of their namesakes, are presented at 40% with no mention of distilleries sourced from, nor chill filtering or added caramel, which I’d expect for this type of product.
Without further ado I poured some glasses.
The Jockey
Sweet biscuity malt, very easy palate, slight hints of drying leather on the rear.
A very decent blend.
The Fisherman
Similar nose, if anything an easier palate, softer, sweeter, with less dryness on the rear.
Thoughts
I was expecting to find this pair to share the same source – but they did differ slightly on drinking.
For me The Jockey has pulled clear of the sedentary Fisherman.
Usually I stop at the last supermarket before the ferry to top up on haggis & booze that isn’t readily available in Ireland.
Sadly the Asda in Girvan had only 1 haggis left & it was too early in the morning for alcohol sales – so another plan emerged.
Sainsbury’s in Lisburn provided my needs.
There are no Sainsbury’s in Ireland – hence Argos pulling out – but Northern Ireland has them – so I indulged in some supermarket spirits.
I do enjoy trying out this category. There can be some good ones & being only a 35cl serving the outlay is minimal. Pity there’s little choice in this size.
Crag & Glen is Sainsbury’s own bottling. It has a suitably bold name that conjures up romantic notions of rugged Highland scenery, magnificent stags & warm drinks by a roaring fire.
Can tasting the whisky match the imagery?
First thing I notice is the golden brown hue of this 3 year old – very suggestive of added colouring & chill filtering – which you kinda have to expect at this price point.
The nose is mild, caramelly & honeyed sweet.
The label very aptly displays ‘smooth & rounded‘ – an accurate descriptor of the mouthfeel.
The finish is the best bit for me – a warm juiciness topped off with joyful prickliness leaving a dry lip-smacking finale.
As basic supermarket brands go Crag & Glen lives up to it’s imagery – minus the roaring fire!
The trip wasn’t centred around whisky – although it was enjoyed.
The hotel bar stocked a limited selection of Scotch – most of which I’d sampled before – so a pleasurable peater in the guise of Highland Park 12 was chosen.
The smoke gently enticed on the nose in a balanced mix of flavours.
A more bolder peat hitter – Talisker Skye – was encountered in The Golf Hotel in Crail. I also noticed their ‘bar pour’ was a double of Scottish Leader – also possessing a smoky element – which I politely declined.
One new Scotch I stumbled on was Naked Grouse.
A soft kiss of smoke wrapped up in a warm hug of a whisky gave an easy drinking & finely balanced dram with a little bite on the rear.
Turns out it’s a blended malt with additional ageing in sherry casks & happened to be ‘whisky of the week’ at my hotel.
I happily accepted the suggestion this time round!
This whisky has been quietly sitting at the back of my spirits stash for too long.
Worried that it could be getting past it’s ‘best before’ date a few drams were deemed in order.
Dalmore is a popular brand represented by the highly entertaining master blender Richard Paterson.
Valour is a Travel Retail Exclusive NAS (Non Age Statement) matured in ex-bourbon casks & aged in oloroso & port barrels. Presented at 40% it contains added caramel & is likely chill filtered too.
I found it an easy going single malt with a soft kiss of tobacco smoke, dark fruits & a touch of prickly frisson on the finish.
I’d describe the flavours as dirty, muddy & muted – but they are warming, welcoming & accessible.
The whole range benefits from a visually distinctive bottle replete with a deer’s antler motif.
I knew nothing about either of these characters before picking up this book other than one of them – Sam – was an actor in a successful series & had recently released a whisky.
The whisky in question – Sassenach – has already won awards & appears to be popular – but has attracted a degree of criticism from those in whisky circles.
Any celebrity putting their name to a whisky – or in this instance actively taking part in the blending & marketing – helps to open up & expand the whisky market to a new layer of customers & consumers.
Given that the whisky community is predominately male Sassenach appears – at least to Sam Heughan’s Twitter page – to have attracted a large female audience. This is to be welcomed.
Rather than being open & expansive many in the establishment sitting in clubs, societies & bloggers often come across as exclusive & closed to new methods & means of enlarging the whisky community.
There are double standards at play too as many of these self-styled ‘defenders of the dram’ often promote themselves as celebrities within their fiercely territorial domains.
Celebrity spirit or not – the actual taste of the whisky is my primary concern. I do recognise celebrity status does bring enhanced brand recognition with perhaps easier routes to market usually leading to increased sales – depending on the celebrity involved.
I’ve not managed to taste Sassenach – it doesn’t appear to be available in Ireland – but I do find the name attractive & the packaging certainly makes it stand out too!
This book however was in my local library – so I gave it a read.
The pair of actors engage in a laddish romp round Scotland dishing out historical titbits, name dropping, thespian tales, hearty food & plenty of whisky!
Like the whisky it opens up Scotland to a new audience – perhaps for the first time – attracted possibly by the dynamic duo on the book’s cover.
Blending popular culture, celebrity status & whisky together is a sure-fire way to broaden the appeal of the golden liquid & ensures it reaches new fans.
WestmeathWhiskeyWorld 