Cutty Sark Prohibition
Nozinan Mini and Sample Series - 8
0 585
Review by @Nozinan
- Nose21
- Taste21
- Finish21
- Balance22
- Overall85
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Distribution of ratings for this:
- Brand: Cutty Sark
- Type: Scotch
- ABV: 50%
I’ve been wanting to try this for a very long time. @Victor has written some very nice things about it on Connosr. Thankfully, when I saw him in April I was able to come away with a small 1 oz sample.
This review is of ~10 cc. The sample bottle was full and I do not know when it was opened or decanted.
Nose:
Neat - First impression - Fruity and very “malt”-like. After sitting in the glass 5 min, however, I get a vegetal note. Reminds me of my Bladnoch 12. The nose on initial hit was very pleasant, 23/25, but now it’s around 19. So I will give it a 21.
With the addition of 4 drops of water and 5 minutes in the glass, the vegetal smell has subsided a little. The fruitiness has returned a little.
Taste:
Neat - Very interesting. A richness in mouthfeel, creaminess. The vegetal note translates into the palate. But there is a sweetness there as well. It’s not unpleasant. A little alcohol burn. A pleasant sour note. 21
With the water, there’s a creamy smoothness to it, more so than before.
Finish - The burn lasts a while. I get a saltiness on the finish. A little bitter. Then my tongue feels dry. 21. Water does not affect the finish.
Balance: A smooth, not unpleasant whisky. Not sure I would buy it because I would likely not choose it over the others in my cabinet. But definitely one of the better blends I’ve tried. 22
After writing the above I checked out @Victor’s review and he scores it a 87 to my 85. Probably within the margin of error. I agree it is quite bold in flavour.
I now get a hint of liquorice or anise on the palate (power of suggestion?).
I think as a blend this punches well above its weight. who am I kidding? If it were at the LCBO I’d probably get one.
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@Nozinan, I'll have to see about getting bigger samples to you in the future. Of course if Canada would let me without paying for my own whisky twice, I would have been bringing more whisky to share with me/us on each of our trips to visit your lovely province of Ontario.
I am fascinated that this particular whisky, Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition, produces some kaleidoscopic effects which vary greatly from person to person. @Benancio, for example, finds Prohibition to be very sweet, while you mention sweetness in passing as one factor of several, and put more emphasis on the others.
I take from this that there is a lot going on here, and different individuals tend to focus on certain aspects more than others on an idiosyncratic basis, sort of like a Rorschach test. That seems like a pretty good definition of "complexity" to me.