The Naked Grouse blended malt whisky review

This BIRD is hard to comprehend, yet it’s rich

The Naked Grouse is a blended malt whisky from The Famous Grouse brand by The Edrington Group. The malts are from Highland Park and Macallan, matured in first-fill Sherry casks. It has a higher proportion of above-mentioned malts, than in the standard, blended malt and grain whisky, because this one has no grains. The bottle is both beautiful and clever, showcasing the grouse etched on the glass.

This vatted malt whisky is pretty good. Overall, an okay dram from the famous Scottish brand. Needs lots of time in the glass to develop. Starts of stingy and with strong marzipan notes, which I always detest. But in the end, turns out just fine.

Bang for the buck dram. Partly rich, occasionally hard to understand. Like jazz music can be. That’s why I’ll call this grouse Bird, in honor of the movie by Clint Eastwood.

Matured in:

first-fill Sherry casks

Colour: Dark red amber

Nose: Starts with marzipan dominating. Develops into a mix of malt, vanilla and milk with plums. Even toffee rises from the back.

Taste: Lot of sherry influence with hints of toffee. Bitter raspberry jam, spices and buttery caramel.

Finish: Oak, dark orange chocolate and oil.

Balance: Not bad at all, an okay showing from The Famous Grouse brand. Has a lot of potential – with more consistency, for example a richer nose and strong finish, it would’ve been a greater whisky.