McClelland's Islay Single Malt
Interesting, if somewhat unbalanced
2 1176
Review by @OdysseusUnbound
- Nose19
- Taste20
- Finish20
- Balance17
- Overall76
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Distribution of ratings for this:
- Brand: McClelland's
- Type: Scotch
- Region: Highland
- ABV: 40%
This whisky was a gift from my wife, but I’ll attempt to be objective nonetheless. Depending on which online source you trust, this young Bowmore is anywhere from 3 to 7 years old. There are a lot of interesting notes here, but the balance is really lacking.
Tasting Notes
- Nose (undiluted): honey sweetness, light smoke, raw chocolate chip cookie dough (seriously, it’s uncanny), black tea that was steeped too long.
- Palate (undiluted): medium to light bodied, a bit thin, lots of cereal sweetness, milk chocolate, more black tea, a bit of raw almonds
- Finish: medium-short with light smoke returning and barley sweetness lingering.
Adding water didn’t change the taste much, it just got more watery. Ice, however, made things interesting. The black tea note disappeared, but the smoke seemed to get “thicker” with ice. This whisky was also quite pleasant (dare I say it?) as a mixer. There’s a time and place for every whisky, and I feel that this is a better “background” whisky than a star in its own right.
"There’s a time and place for every whisky"
OK. I challenge you to find a time and a place for LAMBERTUS