This does have one of the dreaded ‘kickstart’ pour spouts that have accumulated only ire on this fair website. We got around that with some clippers, but even the results are not terribly pretty. In all, fuck you. Now let’s get to the whiskey itself.
Last time we had an American single malt that worked better neat than mixed. So this time we’ve gone a blended whiskey from Scotland aged for 12 years instead of their 1 1/2 years. The result? Another whiskey that’s better straight instead of mixed. Yup.
What they Say: “Bottle Front: The deluxe blend is crafted to the highest quality for a vibrant character, imbued with passion & commitment. And guaranteed by [name here]
Box Back: Buchanan’s Scotch whiskey was created one hundred years ago by Sir James Buchanan, a Scotch whisky pioneer and one of the most celebrated businessmen of his era.
Buchanan’s Scotch whiskey has remained true to his exacting standards of quality ever since.
Today Buchanan’s Special Reserve Scotch whisky is established as a whisky of uncommon quality and strong tradition. It is created using traditional skills and methods of distilling perfected over centuries.
Its quality is still measured according to the uncompromising standards set by Sir James Buchanan”
Taste: 7.0 – It starts like a Highland and then moves into an Islay. The start is peat, but there are wood and smoke there too.
Aftertaste: 7.5 – Here you get more of that roasted peat with a lot more smoke, and after it attacks the nose it lingers for a good long while
Burn/Smooth: 7.0 – There’s some amount of a ‘burn’ but it’s so minor and the warmth compensates so well.
Aroma: 9.0 – Lowland/highland/islay/Speyside. It’s very much 4 different kinds of whiskeys and most often a blend favors one. At least from a smell standpoint, this seems to do well in encompassing the four styles. it delicious and complex, and we love it.
Honesty: 6.5 – It wanks a bit, but mostly goes into the standards of a dead man. That being said, given how good it is, those standards are okay, and this whiskey works. At the end of the day, the words and the whiskey are good.
Mixability: 6.0
W/ Rocks: 6.0 – It changes a bit of where the notes come in, and overall is better neat. however to say this is a bad scotch on the rock would be a lie.
Rusty Nail: 6.0 – The ratio needs to be heavily adjusted here. Once you do it’s – fine. There are certainly other whiskeys that mixed here make for a better cocktail, but this shines neater.
Value: 7.0 – That’s a bit too much to really sell us on the deal, mind you it’s at a 7 which is damn high for us. While yes this actually works as an enjoyable neat whiskey, it’s not great overall, and its main standout is aroma which isn’t ideal.
Google Shop Average: $32
Website: https://en.buchananswhisky.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 7.0
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Metric Score: 50/70 |+| Metric Average: 7.14 |+| Reviewer Average: 7.0
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Final Thoughts: That being said this is just that much better, especially neat. For a fairly cheap 12 year blend you really can’t go too wrong here. Although as stated you will need to break out the hardware because of their stupid godawful pour spouts which we will continue to refuse to accept as a norm and call ill will upon any who impose it.
Hello Buffalo. Love the Buchanan’s! Not sure what all the fuss is about the pour spout. If you shake it slightly it pours just fine. Oh well, can’t please everyone, and the Scotch more than makes up for the inconvenience of shaking it slightly!
What pour spout? I was just given a bottle, like the one in the pic above. Pulled that plastic seal thing off and unscrewed the cap. Poured a shot. Great nose, smooth going down with a bit of a kick at the finish. If I hold my pinky in the air I get the peat and the wood and stuff. I’ve had worse, masquerading as fine scotch whisky. I mean, it is a blend!
Anyone that can’t figure out how to pour out of that bottle has no right to review anything. That’s as sweet and simple to use as it gets
First on the pour spout: It did perplex me at first but as another reviewer posted… give it a shake and it pours fine!
Now for the contents: unlike the reviewer… I think this is a whisky that benefits from a bit of water… and my preference is one piece of ice. The added water lets the flavor platform present itself and dampers the back burn which while not as strong as others is still present but not detrimental. I do taste a bit of chocolate but not as much orange unless your including that pith… which there is a citric bitterness which again is not a problem for my palate. I would classify this as adequate and think it would be fine in a cocktail… perhaps not my first choice for a Rob Roy but could stand in in a pinch ( for a Rob Roy I recommend Dewars Port Cask) but could go with a bit of soda fine… and if you want a slice of orange as well have at it! My rating is not far off from the reviewer… I say at best a 6.5… but more accurately a 6.0. Its not a bad whisky for the price but it currently has a lot of competition!