Cutty Sark 12 Year Old

Well, I should preface this review by admitting I am somewhat prejudiced against the Sark. I nipped at a bottle of Cutty Sark as a teen and stayed away from scotch for while after due to what I perceived then as "rot gut."

I wasn't all wrong. The nose is indeed rotty, so to speak. It reminds me of the mulch that my gardeners use in springtime on the landscaping. Along with a slightly nutty undertone, but a sweet sort of nut such as the cashew.

The taste is better than the smell and certainly better than the nearly nonexistent finish, but that's not exactly high praise. I taste a bit of butterscotch mixed in with alcohol-y overtones that tend to dominate. Some more cashews and salt.

The finish is short and bitter.

I ordered a Cutty Sark at a bar to see if it was as bad as I remembered from my youth. It was not, but I will probably not order it again any time soon. Down two or three shots of the Sark in a row, and it's "chunder watch under," over the wall, or, more likely, in the chunder box.

Plus marks for no artificial coloring. Owned by the same blokes that own Famous Grouse, Macallan, and Highland Park. I'm puzzled why it doesn't taste any better other than the fact that it's so inexpensive. I suppose you get what you pay for. This said, I liked Highland Park better when it was in the dumpy bottle. I do like Cutty Sark better now than in 1984. Is it me or the scotch? Probably a little of both, Berry Bros aside. I appreciate the owner of all three bottlings.

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