We here have been long time fans of the Grand Macnish 12 year for being all the scotch your well decanter ever needs, at a price that’s competitive. It lets you feel good about buying some new single malt because it’s always there for you if it ends up being something like Jura. This is a new edition (much like the 15yr sherry) that’s aged in charred casks – and proves that maybe you should just leave things well alone.
The word bourbon is going to get thrown around a lot here, and let us be clear – we love bourbon. Asking us to choose between it and scotch is like asking to choose which of your children to shoot. We don’t use it here to deride or imply inferiority, but when you go to the market to buy some Frosted Flakes, you’d be a bit annoyed when it’s Honey Nut Cheerios.
What they Say: “Aged in charred bourbon casks.”
Taste: 6.0 – There’s a sweetness, but also so much smoke and heat – not in a million years is this not just a bourbon made by a scot.
Aftertaste: 5.5 – Hwah – that is hard to judge as a scotch. There’s no peaty flavors, no lightness or fruit or salty air like taste, this is about as Tennessee as you get.
Burn/Smooth: 4.5 – It’s not smooth. That’s not a huge issue here, but it’s not smooth.
Aroma: 5.0 – If this was in some sort of A/B testing where it’s a blind thing given to folks to discern a scotch versus a bourbon – we’d bet everything any ‘sommelier’ is calling this a bourbon. Nothing wrong with that on our side, but it’s at that point just an okay whiskey.
Honesty: 7.5 – They don’t say much. The bottle has that iconic dimple shape, and no evil pour spout in sight. That and calling this a ‘black edition’ feels a bit wrong (more like red), but it is in line with what’s happened here – a whiskey defined not like a regular scotch, but by the coopers who built the vessel it sat in.
Mixability: 6.5
W/ Rocks: 6.0 – It certainly brings out more of the smoky part of the whiskey. Overall it’s a more enjoyable experience versus the power of this neat, but not by much.
Whiskey and Coke: 7.0 – We considered doing Ginger Ale as is custom for a blended scotch – but even we know this was more suited to cola. However mixed with coke it’s the right amount of smoky and nice. It makes a delicious bourbon scotch and soda.
Value: 5.0 – That is not a bad price for a semi decent bourbon. We’d still recommend the 12 year as overall that’s just a better whiskey
Google Shop Average: $24
Website: www.whiskymerchants.co.uk/#/grand-macnish/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.0
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Metric Score: 40/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.71 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.0
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Final Thoughts: We’re in talks with a company that lets you age spirits with various types of exotic woods (for an upcoming experiment), and it’s something like this that has us excited about it. Because while the ingredients here are essentially the same, the result is much more down to the wood.
