Whyte and Mackay 13 Year Old

In this instance i had a bottle of W&M Special (basic Whyte and Mackay blend) on tap which i preceded to enjoy with my dad for a late night dram or two. I then suggested i crack open a bottle of "thirteen" which i had bought the same day. I opened it and poured some from the new bottle, although i will point out we cleared our palates with water before embarking on the journey of putting this Whisky through its paces!

NOSE: Very similar to the "special" with all the same aromas making an appearance although they were more subtle at first. There was a stronger floral note i would add over the "special". A malty smell along with a sweetness from the grain are at the forefront with this blend with a mellow Sherry note coming through. Water did little in my view to open the nose up!

PALATE: The first thing that hits you is the sweetness from the grain Whisky, in fact it's overpowering especially neat. Now there is a greater hot content compared to it's younger brother which was a surprise to me as this is suppose to be smoother. Sultanas, Honey, Brown (almost burnt) sugar along with a big tea note that follows all the way through. Adding water is essential if you want to enjoy this Whisky to its fullest capacity in the mouth... you get all the same tastes but with a smoother delivery. I did pick up on an almost lemon taste but it was minimal!

FINISH: The tea taste is very empowering yet i find it quite enjoyable and different. The sweetness continues all the way through even when you've swallowed it and can be in my opinion "overkill". As usual there is a bite at the back of the throat (which i might add was greater than that of the "special" blend) but there was a welcome taste of raisins, toffee and tea to finish. The finish lasted a good few minutes!

VERDICT: Considering this is a minimum of 13 years i was disappointed to be honest. Especially as i'd literally just been drinking the "special blend" which is between 4-8 years old. All the same aromas and tastes are there compared to the "special" although i will add that the "thirteen" was smoother on the whole (when you add water).. but to be honest i don't think this is worth upgrading from the "special blend" so i would recommend you start there and if you want to go up in the world of blended Whiskys go straight to the "old Luxury 19yo" from Whyte & Mackay (which i hope to review some time soon)

For a 13 year old blend it isn't what i was expecting, it's certainly better than the "special" blend in terms of smoothness but that's about it. If all you want is good blend to keep around the house i would say stick with W&M special.

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