Cheap, cheap Scotch

While Cas wanted me to add my two cents to the wine review theme, I’m thinking that my opinion on the subject probably isn’t worth most people’s time to read. Thus, I’ll go with a subject I know something about, cheap Scotch Whisky.

First, you should note that, where Scotch is concerned, “whisky” is spelled correctly. The American version, such as Jack Daniels, is whiskey, with an “e,” and, even though they’re made from the same basic ingredients, there is a difference which you’ll just have to taste for yourself because I don’t have the words to explain it properly.

Second, when one talks cheap Scotch it means a blended product. If you read the Scotch labels at your local liquor store, you’ll find that some say “blended” and some say “single malt.” Blended means that batches from several breweries have been mixed together to maintain a consistent flavor for the product. Single malt means that the bottle contains only the product from a single brewery from a single batch, which means it’s unique and nothing will ever be bottled that is exactly the same again. From a taste perspective that may be good or bad, but the limitation on supply means the price is high, so single malts almost never fall into the cheap category, so for today’s post I’ll stick to blended varieties. Also, as to the actual taste of these beverages, much like the taste of wines, I could write a book and you could waste the time needed to read it and still not know what they taste like. With that in mind, I’m just shooting at giving you my general impressions and, hopefully, a little bit of guidance as to what is available for you to try.

And, after flipping a coin, I’ll approach this starting with the top end products. Oh, note this just includes stuff I’ve tasted sufficiently to form an opinion of.

Chivas Regal, the king of blended Scotch. It’s really good and, even though it can be more expensive than some single malts, this is the stuff to serve at parties if you want to impress your guests. The name, by the way, is well enough known that said guests don’t even need to know squat about the taste of good Scotch to be impressed, even if that taste is really quite nice. If you can afford it, it’s hard to go wrong with this one.

Johnnie Walker Black Label, is a close second to the king of Scotch title. In some areas it’s considered to hold the crown, and I can’t argue against that opinion. It’s also expensive and very good.

Cutty Sark, in my opinion, your best value for really good blended Scotch. Let me just say that, being the penny pincher I am, when I hit the lottery and become fabulously wealthy, this is what I’ll be drinking.

Dewar’s White Label, to my taste not quite as good as Cutty Sark, and the name’s not as interesting either. Still, it’s tasty, and if you only hit 5 out of 6 numbers, go for it.

Teacher’s Highland Cream. Good stuff. It’s better than what I usually drink, but you can find it on sale at times, and I recommend snatching up a bottle or three when this happens.

100 Pipers. Worth buying on sale just for the name. It’s good, but not good enough for the regular price. Still, it’s good.

Inverhouse. In my opinion this is the best buy for you money if you consume more than a little blended Scotch. It has good consistent quality and flavor from year to year, and you will find it difficult to match it on an alcohol per dollar basis. It’s nice to drink and provides a reasonably cheap buzz, perfect.

Highland Mist. Not quite as tasty as Inverhouse, to me at least, but still worth drinking. Plus it’s a bit less expensive. It hasn’t been available around here long enough for me to know how the quality and taste will vary over the years.

Lauder’s. Crap. It’s generally the cheapest Scotch on the market, and there’s a reason; it makes your pee stink. Truly, the flavor isn’t that much worse than the two above, but it really does make your pee stink. Like asparagus does, but worse. Really, four or seven shots of this stuff will make you hold your nose when your urinate the next day. I have no idea what they put in it to achieve this effect, but it can’t be good for you.

Enjoy,
the Grit

---

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• 1850 bottle of Scotch sets sales record at almost $60,000
• Scotch