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McClelland's Lowland Single Malt

Average score from 3 reviews and 3 ratings 73

McClelland's Lowland Single Malt

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@markjedi1
McClelland's Lowland Single Malt

T&A McClelland's is a bottler with a limited range on the market, i.e. McClelland's Lowland, Highland, Speyside and Islay. The distilleries are not mentioned on the label, just the region. But when you know that the company is owned by Morrison-Bowmore (who own Auchentosha, Bowmore, Glen Garioch and since a few years also Laphroaig and Ardmore), it may not be that difficult to ascertain what is in the bottle. A few years ago I tried the Islay, which was not really to my liking. Let me try the rest of the range, starting with the Lowland.

The nose is candy sweet on citrus (bloodoranges to the fore), pineapple and some peach. But also grapefruit and some vanilla. A few grasses, but not overly floral. Reminds me a bit of a brown paper bag. That is a first… but there is no doubt in my mind that this is a young Auchentoshan with a few sherry casks in the mix. The nose is actually quite pleasant, even though it is a lightweight.

It is more creamy than expected. Yes, the body of this malt is more than okay. But on the palate, it is piquant before the fruit shows itself. Candied lemon peel, hay, oats and grind ginger. Midpalate it becomes somewhat bitter and falls apart. Bottled too young, if you ask me.

The finish is almost non-existent and tastes a bit like a white slice of bread at the death.

Simple, but dirt cheap Auchentoshan. Last seen for 24 EUR.

@TheWhiskeyJug

I very strongly dislike this whisky. I can’t say I hate this whisky because that emotion is reserved for the abomination that is Bastille, but this is definitely on the lowest rungs of single malt ladder I’ve ever had. It’s not just that it tastes and smells like B.O. but that it also really lacks structure and any kind of identity beyond “stinky”. It’s wishy washy, watery and just overall not fun to drink.

NOSE: Body odor. I’m not joking. Body odor is the first thing I smell drifting out of this bottle. Underneath the eau de hippie is a mild malt, light caramel, some imitation vanilla and stagnant tidal pools. There is a thread of rotting veg, like when a bag of salad is left in the back of your fridge, running through the whole thing.

TASTE: I can taste the body odor. It’s quite unpleasant. There is a bit of malt, honey, and a very ambiguous floral fruity flavor that is paired with sour milk. It’s just truly terrible stuff.

FEEL: Weirdly hot. So rough that all it does is enhance the unbalanced terrible nature of this whisky.

FINISH: It is a mercifully short finish filled with B.O. and a strangely out of place malt, honey and a hint of wood.

D

McLellands' Lowland is a budget single malt scotch. Not a bad deal for someone getting into single malts. It has a sweet peppery start and a medium finish with hints of minerals. It is not very well balanced as the taste does not deliver what the nose promises. The nose is good but the taste is not as complex as the nose. Not a bad dram for a beginning maltineer or for a casual drink on a warm afternoon. For a few dollars more one might consider a decent blended scotch.

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