A few blends picked at random


June 11, 2026

A few blends picked at random (a major failure)

It’s true that over the past few weeks we’ve tasted a great many outright stars, plenty of 90+ scorers, whether mature bottlings or outstanding new expressions from distillers who seem, at the moment, to be bringing out their crown jewels. For enthusiasts like us, it’s a blessed period, even if it isn’t necessarily one for the business itself. Anyway, today we’ll try to drag the average score down a little on this humble little blog. It takes all sorts to make a world…

(We knew that yellow would eventually come back into fashion...)

Johnnie Walker ‘Blonde’ (40%, OB, blended Scotch, +/-2026)

We simply cannot help thinking of Jackson’s Row here, that all-white Glenkinchie, the counterpart to Loch Dhu 10 yo. This blonde rendition of Johnnie W. is billed as ‘a whisky for summer’, and the label further promises it to be ‘Bright – Fruity – Smooth’. Let us just say that expectations were not exactly soaring. Colour: gold. Nose: tinned apple compote liberally drenched in vanilla-ed cane syrup, alongside a faintly floral touch of geranium, some fig leaf, and rather a lot of hay. To be fair, it is neither dreadful nor excessively ‘smooth’. Mouth: things become rather more challenging on the palate, with a distinctly herbal profile, still packed with hay, vanilla, cardboard, desiccated coconut, sawdust, and a slightly spirity edge. We do not believe this was intended to be consumed neat as we are doing here. Finish: short, echoing many of the same notes before drifting back towards apple compote, with a little cinnamon and, once again, plenty of vanilla. Comments: as they say, it could have been much worse.
SGP:440 - 68 points.

We’ll see if we can put matters right…

Dewar's 8 yo 'Caribbean Smooth' (40%, OB, blended scotch, +/-2025)

As you may already have guessed, this one has enjoyed a rum finish. The French Cask Smooth matured in Calvados had been rather charming (WF 83), while the Portuguese Smooth finished in Port proved a little more difficult, though still perfectly respectable (WF 78). Personal opinions, of course. Colour: pale gold. Nose: we are once again finding apple compote with cinnamon, touches of sugar cane indeed, along with barley, honey, rock candy and figs. I find this very well put together, certainly well above the level of most traditional blends, at least on the nose. Mouth: a little sweet, certainly, but it works rather well, taking us into a world of apple juice softened with honey and white nougat. Finish: medium in length, a touch sweet perhaps, yet thoroughly pleasant. A more malty aftertaste emerges in the end. Comments: pleasant stuff.
SGP:640 - 79 points.

Come on then, let’s have an older blend…

Grant’s Stand Fast (no ABV, OB, blended Scotch, twist cap, +/-1965)

Interestingly, this version states that the distilleries involved were Glenfiddich and Balvenie-Glenlivet, without any further clarification. One might be tempted to conclude that this is in fact a blended malt. Then again, brand owners also had a habit of mentioning the distilleries they owned, which did not necessarily imply that these formed the actual composition of the whisky itself. Colour: gold. Nose: light touches of damp cardboard and mushrooms at first, both rather classic features in an old whisky, followed by equally familiar metallic notes, before the malt begins to emerge more clearly, along with oatcakes, cereal mash, maple syrup and praline. It keeps becoming cleaner and better defined with every passing moment. Mouth: this is remarkably malty, and remarkably good on the palate, with honey-glazed ham, walnut cake, dry sherry, gentle marmalade, cinnamon rolls and raisin bread. One would really need to compare it with a Glenfiddich from the same era. Finish: fairly long, with lovely smoky spices, rather in the style that has become fashionable in smart restaurants these days. Comments: a highly impressive old blend, the malt content must have been very high indeed, if not integral, so to speak.
SGP:562 - 88 points.

Ainslie’s King’s Legend ‘Old Special’ (40%, OB, blended Scotch, M. Di Chiano, long twist cap, +/-1970)

This is, of course, one of the old Clynelish blends. Worth noting is the bottling strength of 40%, somewhat unusual for Italy, where 43% tended to be the norm. We have mostly tasted older versions of King’s Legend, magnificent whiskies that were generally superior to the various ‘Royal Edinburgh’ bottlings. Colour: gold. Nose: the spirit is very much in the same vein as the Stand Fast, except that this one is markedly more mineral, more phenolic, smokier, more maritime and distinctly saltier on the nose. In short, more Old Clynelish. I shall not elaborate any further. Mouth: this is Old Clynelish through and through, with a few grainy touches that could scarcely have done it any harm. Astonishing notes of old fino, oysters, damp cement and lemons. Finish: magnificent salty peat. Comments: you will have noticed that we have remained rather brief and relatively discreet.
SGP:453 - 90 points.

Let’s face it, we got sidetracked, the original plan was simply to taste a few contemporary blends.

Blended Scotch 12 yo (53%, Decadent Drams, refill sherry hogshead, 295 bottles, 2025)

Charlie and Angus on the label, this is a bottle that could scarcely be more convivial. Colour: amber. Nose: there seems to be about as much grain here as there is on a pebble, even though there probably is some lurking in the background (little hints of coconut praline). Otherwise, we find sake, camphor, chen-pi, shoe polish and walnuts. With water: crushed slate, camphor and salmiak emerging to the fore. Mouth (neat): peppery and very much focused on green walnuts, rather in the style of certain indie ‘blends’ from Edrington that appeared to be heavily driven by HP. With water: even better. Marmalade and camphor in splendid harmony. Finish: long, impeccable, saline, smoky, earthy, rooty and altogether most satisfying. Comments: how is it even possible that we should be finding part of the profile of that old Ainslie’s within this youthful blend, which is perhaps not quite as decadent as its name would suggest?
SGP:562 - 90 points.

Coachbuilt 18 yo (48%, blended Scotch, 3,000 bottles, 2024)

Jenson Button and Williams Racing are involved in this series, but do remember, never drink and drive (or ride, for that matter). That said, I do have a bottle of Ballantine’s signed by David Coulthard, which shall one day be tasted here... Colour: white wine. Nose: it is absolutely terrifying how the brain works, because I am indeed finding notes of tyres, tarmac and leather. Are they really there? I rather think they are. Beyond that, there are ripe apples, quince and toasted sesame seeds. A few hints of new plastic as well, I was about to add ‘naturally’. Mouth: even smokier now, and unmistakably salty. Beyond that, it is indeed tarry, and it becomes increasingly obvious that they were trying to evoke the world of motor racing through the aromas themselves. I believe they have succeeded. Finish: let us avoid any cheap metaphors or motoring analogies here, shall we? Comments: honestly, this is very good, very successful, and remarkably evocative of a motor race. Really.
SGP:564 - 85 points.

This tasting session is really going off the rails. That’s blends for you…

Soho Selection 30 yo 1994/2025 ‘VAT #3’ (49.5%, Milroy’s, peated cask, blended Scotch)

According to the back label, this is composed of North British, which at thirty years of age is almost certainly maize-based, together with Tormore. The remaining question is where the peat comes from. Was it the cask or vat used for the final marrying? Colour: gold. Nose: forgive my French, but ‘merdre alors’ as Père Ubu would have said, this is rather lovely! Smouldering earth, pears and apples, walnuts, bitter almonds, a few floral touches of pansies and borage... It is genuinely intriguing, truth be told. A few drops of diesel oil as well. Mouth: but where on earth are these mangoes and guavas coming from? The touches of smoked pepper, magnificent by the way, are easier to account for. The oysters, perhaps rather less so... Finish: long, fresh and highly elegant, becoming peatier, more lemony, and almost Laphroaig-like in character. Comments: a genuine treasure hunt of a whisky, and tremendous fun at that. We should very much like the solution now.
SGP:553 - 90 points.

We’re much too high up the scale for a blends tasting, though naturally we’ve only ourselves to blame. Come on then, let’s fit in one final dram…

Blended Scotch 26 yo ‘Kung Hei Fat Choy’ (45%, Lucky Choice & Friends, sherry butt, cask #6962024, +/-2025)

There is a mention of 1851 somewhere on the label, which leads us to Robertson & Baxter, which in turn leads us to Edrington. The remaining challenge is to determine just how much Highland Park may be lurking within the mix. Colour: full gold. Nose: beeswax meets walnuts and shoe polish, followed by tobacco and oloroso, perhaps even amontillado. It all seems almost straightforward, yet once again simplicity proves to be an immense virtue here. Mouth: a few sultanas, quite a lot of fig jam and heather honey. In fact, it is considerably softer and rounder than the nose had suggested. Then again, we have always been great admirers of fig jam. Little by little, peaty and peppery elements begin to insinuate themselves into the picture. Where are they coming from? Particularly peaty batches of HP, perhaps? Finish: very handsome, with green pepper, raisins, figs and coriander seeds. Comments: it remains rather mysterious all the same, and one does not quite get the impression that it was composed entirely from Edrington-owned distilleries.
SGP:653 - 90 points.

That’s enough, this has been a complete, joyful disaster. We’re scoring far too high. To be fair, though, many of these blends scarcely qualify as blends at all. We’ll have to revisit the exercise properly in the near future, with a more disciplined approach. Real blends this time, with generous proportions of ~~vodka~~ grain whisky, and not exclusively bottlings from the 1960s, either.

(With thanks to KC and Wouter)

Check the index of all blended Scotch we've tasted