Catto's Blended Scotch Whiskey

Price: $38.15 (1140 ml)

Location of Distillery: Rothes, Scotland

Arthur's Review

• Overal rating: 6
• Smokiness: 2
• Sweetness: 7
• Easy to swallow, no spitting necessary. Warm mouth-feel - likely due to the fact that alcohol is present. The kind of Scotch that has you up late at night while you try and forget the hussy you picked up on a whim. Overall, I would recommend if drinking alcohol is what you are after. 
• Sweet, some fruitiness, some taffy, a little pumpkin spice latte quality, and a lot of 'meh.'

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 4
• Smokiness: 2
• Sweetness: 8
• A bit of a mixed bag. The initial scent is quite off-putting, sort of sweet fruit and pissy smelling. The smell is noticed less as you continue drinking. The taste is less offensive but does not have the usual Scotch qualities. It's sweet, fruity, and more like rum than Scotch. I could not recommend it. 

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 4
• Smokiness: 2
• Sweetness: 7
• Not a great first impression. Reminds me of warm piss and tequila. The taste is definitely sweet, makes it a little easier to swallow
• Despite the sweetness, there are still strong hints of medicinal/rubbery flavours

Steve's Review

• Overal rating:  0.1
• Smokiness: 1
• Sweetness: 8
• A mix of weak scotch and sour wine. Only drink if you're already really drunk. Or if a hobo pisses on you and you want something more disgusting to take your mind off it.

Random Category - Which movie hero is this scotch?

Arthur - Any Steven Seagal film - you are excited that he beat everyone up but really wish he had died within the first few minutes.
Max - Robin, because it will always be second when compared to any other scotch, just like Robin is always second to Batman
Steve - The adrenelin needle in Pulp Fiction. Like its alcohol, but if you're using it you've already fucked up.
Will - Officer Slater from Superbad - he's a funny guy with some virtues but obviously a bad father and smells like piss.

The Glenrothes Select Reserve

Price: $59.95 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Rothes, Scotland

Steve's Review

• Overal rating: 5
• Smokiness: 1
• Sweetness: 2
• The scotch equivalent of hitting a foul ball, you didn't strike out but your not going anywhere either.

Quentin's Review

• Overall rating: 4
• Smokiness: 2
• Sweetness: 4
• Hints of rubbing alcohol initially, but opens up to a smidge of vanilla.  Strong alcohol flavour with not much depth, borderline tastes like a blend.  Prevalent spice flavour.  Very light in colour.  Would not recommend.  

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 7
• Smokiness: 5
• Sweetness: 7
• Not bad. Smells very sweet but tastes less so. A bit of rubber mixed with wood. It doesn't stand out uniquely against some of the other Scotch's we've had. Can't think of much else to say about it.

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 5
• Smokiness: 2
• Sweetness: 3
• Very medicinal smell, with weak flavours of french vanilla and caramel as it hits your tongue. Light in colour, not a lot going on in terms of flavour. Pretty run of the mill scotch.

Random Category - After drinking this Scotch, which inferior race would you feel like exterminating?

Max - The Amish
Steve - The common North-American redneck
Will - The French
Quentin - New Brunswickers

Talisker Storm

Price: $90.00 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Isle of Skye, Scotland

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 7 
• Smokiness: 8
• Sweetness:  5
• Quite nice. It has a robust smokey smell that reminds me of a lesser Laphroaig. A classic Scotch that I would be proud to keep stocked in my stores. It has a small rubber taste, which is somewhat distracting. I would drink this while whittling a stockpile of fishing spears on a remote island of Zanzibar. 

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 8
• Smokiness: 7 (more peaty than smoky)
• Sweetness: 3
• A little bit of bitter chocolate and pine mixed with the smell/taste of sea weed after a hurricane
• Well balanced between peaty and sweet

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 8.5
• Smokiness: 8.5
• Sweetness: 5.5
• Good balance between oak smokiness and peat peatiness. No weird other tastes. Solid scotch all around. The kind of scotch you want to have the morning after surving your first all night storm on the ocean, in the sailboat you built by hand.

Random Category - Which movie villian would drink this scotch?

Max - Gold Finger, James Bond 007
Steve - Bill the Butcher, Gangs of New York
Will - Sgt. Hartman from Full Metal Jacket

Te Bheag Blended Scotch Whisky

Price: $38.95 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Isle of Skye, Scotland

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 7.5 
• Smokiness: 6 
• Sweetness: 3 
• Hints of peat with a smell like rotting sea shells 
• Having this scotch unchilfiltered really brings out the ropeadope and resmokeaged flavours 
• Surprisingly smooth and creamy, rich in colour and texture 

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 4 
• Smokiness: 5 but not peat smoking. More of a campfire smoky but like a shitty campfire not a nice smelling one. Like it was made with wet smelly wood.
• Sweetness: 7
• "A noble failure, but a failure" - Michael Scott

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 8 
• Smokiness: 7 
• Sweetness: 8 
• Has a savoury thinness to it. Goes well with chocolate chip cookies. Maple, molasses, cut rubber hose. 

Random Category - Where would you take this scotch for a first date?

Steve - To a scotch tasting. So both of us can find something that works better.
Will - Paintballing
Max - Jazz club

Aultmore 12 yr.

Price: $78.95 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Buckie Road, Scotland

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 6
• Smokiness: 2
• Sweetness: 4
• Not a whole lot there, very medicinal, burns the nostrils a bit
• The flavour does not compensate for the alcohol taste

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 3.8
• Smokiness: 0.4
• Sweetness: 4.0
• Not much I can say. Kinda medicine-y

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 5
• Smokiness: 3
• Sweetness: 6
• Not the best. Looks nearly clear, like some Scot watered it down while I wasn't looking. Doesn't get me excited for having to finish this bottle.
• The lack of actual scotch in the bottle makes it have a faint smell and weak taste. It tastes mostly of alcohol.
• Bung cloth, turnips, bog myrtle.

Random Category - Which cleaning product does this remind you of?

Steve - Life Brand Rubbing Alcohol - 70% 250 mL
Will - Acetone
Max - Mr. Clean Tile Cleaner

Mortlach Single Malt Scotch Whisky

 



Price: $99.95 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Dufftown, Scotland

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 8
• Smokiness: 3
• Sweetness: 5
• The taste is tangy and fruity, just like the box suggests..
• A little harsh on the nose, good if you have a cold.
• There's a lot going on with this scotch, it's hard to really place any distinct flavours. It's kind of like a Phil Spector scotch.

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 8.31
• Smokiness: 2.51
• Sweetness: 6.11
• A wee bit fruity. A little sharp, but pretty balanced overall. Tastses strong. 
• If it has a fault it would be that its a wee bit mediciney.

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 
• Smokiness: 
• Sweetness: 
• 
  

Random Category - Which US state respresents this scotch best?

Steve - New York, it has a lot of really cool stuff like the city and  things people forget about like the state parks but it also has a wee fault like Buffalo.
Will -
Max - New York. Mainly because of New York City and how busy it is there. A lot going on, just like this scotch.

Glen Garioch Single Malt

Price: $59.95 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Oldmeldrum Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Arthur's Review

• Overall Rating: 5
• Smokiness: 4
• Sweetness: 8
• Definitely is alcohol. Similar to a strong beer but distilled. Sweet. I do not enjoy the mouthfeel. Notable fire, burn, and nail varnish remover.  

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 6 
• Smokiness: 4
• Sweetness: 7
• Doesn't smell too specific... sweet, some acetone, almond. The taste is more interesting - smoky, rubber, cereal. Fairly tame overall. I wouldn't go and buy it.

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 6
• Smokiness: 5
• Sweetness: 4
• Not too sweet, not too smokey, not really much of anything notable
• A little shallow and pedantic if you ask me, with the taste of stewed apples, bog myrtle, and lawn clippings 

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 6.5
• Smokiness: 2
• Sweetness: 3
• Pretty soft, and bit watery. The predominate flavour is scotch. OK but there are better scotches for the same price. Not smoky enough I suppose.

Random Category - What animated series does the scotch most seem like?

Arthur - The Animatrix. When there is a big battle and no one wins.
Will - American Dad. I'm sure a lot of people like it but its just not for me.
Max - Family Guy.
Steve - Last few seasons of the simpsons. Its okay but not amazing and memorable like the old stuff.

Dun Bheagan 2009 Limited Edition

Price: $51.85 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Islay, Scotland

Quentin's Review

• Overall Rating: 7
• Smokiness: 8 
• Sweetness: 7.5
• Freshly chainsawed pine on a moderately hot summer day.  Hint of cherry.  Smell of wine gums after opening a fresh bag.  

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 8 
• Smokiness: 8 
• Sweetness: 6
• Playful and mysterious.

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 8
• Smokiness: 7
• Sweetness:6
• Smells like LaPhroig on first whiff. Honey, vanilla, smokier than Snoop's house. Quite a nice finish. I would definitely keep this one stocked at all times if I had the money. Potato, cigar box, fatty.

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 7
• Smokiness: 7
• Sweetness: 5.5
• Strong mesquite flavour that reminds me of BBQs, good amounts of sweetness, slight medicinal/soapy after taste
• Real medieval feel to the scotch

Random Category - What facial hair should you have while drinking this scotch?

Quentin - Charles Darwin
Max - The Viking
Steve - The Ernest Hemingway
Will - Rasputin

White Horse Scotch Whisky

Price: $??? (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Glasgow, Scotland

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 2
• Smokiness: 2
• Sweetness:3
• Tastes like a really old garden hose left in the sun too long. Hard to rate since I think I can feel my taste buds dying. If gasoline could become rotten it might smell this. I guess its still scotch....sugary scotch.

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 3
• Smokiness: 4
• Sweetness:7
• The smell has a hint of lemon and is rubbery sweet. The kind of rubber you'd smell when you slice into a golf ball and sniff that strange core material inside. The taste is... off. We are guessing it's been in the bottle too long because it's a bit musty. Slightly spicy. Like finding an old sandwich in the bottom of your backpack.

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 2
• Smokiness: 2
• Sweetness: 8
• Smells like a rotting car tire, with a slight sickly sweet lingering smell
• The taste will make you shutter. Moonshine is the closest thing I can compare this to, although it does remind me of sickly sweet lemonade mixed with bleach

Random Category - What part of a car does this remind you of?

Max - The oil filter after 400,000km and has never been changed
Steve - A coolant hose thats come loose and fallen onto some part of the exhaust and is now melting and why faint white smoke and that burning smell are coming through the air vents after the car has been running for more than a few minutes.
Will - The tailpipe. It does a job but is dirty, crusty, and smells like tailpipe.

Jura Superstition - Lightly Peated

Price: $63.95 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Isle of Jura, Scotland

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 7
• Smokiness: 6
• Sweetness: 3
• Hints of hemp ropes, bonfires, and marzipan
• Very smooth lightly peated scotch, as the name suggests
• Slightly medicinal aftertaste

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 6.5 
• Smokiness: 3.5
• Sweetness:  4.5
• Pretty Decent. A little spicy a little chill. Not at all like horlick. 

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 7.5
• Smokiness: 7
• Sweetness: 6
• Honey, molasses, caramel, smoke. Smells sugary to me. A bit like bubblegum. On tasting though, it's slightly rubbery with bits of apple.  

Random Category - What do you see in the future from the oil tails in your glass?

Steve - Meteorites falling to the Earth, the endtimes are truly upon us. Repent while you can.
Will - A splooge with tentacled legs... the flying spaghetti monster! His noodly appendages are embracing me. Pastafarianism is in my future.

Max - A thunder storm, with rain drops trickling down a window as the glass is light up with bursts of light.

Cardhu 12 yr.

Price: $74.95 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Morayshire, Scotland

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 8
• Smokiness: 7
• Sweetness: 5
• Classy, refined, and straight to the point. A Scotch that doesn't negotiate with terrorists. Like the Glenlivet 12 year but improved in all respects.

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 7
• Smokiness: 4
• Sweetness: 5
• Silky, roasted caramel, a little vanilla and a malty finish. Good to the last drop.
• A real man's scotch, the kind that will put hair on your chest.

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 7
• Smokiness: 6
• Sweetness: 3
• Tastes clear whatever that means. A little spicy maybe. Not exciting but gets the job done.

Random Category - Which 70's band/artist does this scotch remind you of?

Steve - Niel Young
Will - Pink Floyd

Max - Boston, more specifically their song "Rock N' Roll Band"

The Glenlivet 12 yr.

Price: $28.95 (375 ml)

Location of Distillery: Banffshire, Scotland

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 5
• Smokiness: 4
• Sweetness: 6
• Very middle of the road, safe scotch
• Nutty, hints of vanilla, honey, and a little smokey

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 5.5
• Smokiness: 3
• Sweetness: 7
• Pretty basic, a little too sweet, wish it was more smoky. Pretty basic not alot of flavour. Pretty basic I guess. Ya pretty basic44

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 6.5
• Smokiness: 5
• Sweetness: 5
• Almonds, chocolate, dependable, fairly solid, inoffensive. A scotch I could come home to after a hard days work. No frills. 

Random Category - What equation describes this scotch?

Steve - Gauss's Law - Fundemental stuff but basic, everybody knows it buts its not particularly interesting and you don't really bother using it too often
Will - Gamma, the reflection coefficient - it's the bread and butter

Max - Pythagorean Theorem - it's fundamentally basic 

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

Price: $69.95 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Islay, Scotland

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 8.5
• Smokiness: 8
• Sweetness: 3.5
• Really smoky and heavy in a good way, solid, dependable. Like a tank or a train or a train carrying tanks. Reminds me of engines for some reason.

Will's Review

• Overall Rating:  9
• Smokiness: 9
• Sweetness: 7
• Smells very peaty, definitely some rubber, wood, grass
• Great taste. Quite alcoholic so it shouldn't be consumed if you're feeling beta. 

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 8
• Smokiness: 9
• Sweetness: 6
• Very very peaty, with a high alcohol contant that really needs water to balance it
• Oily, fruity, and a slight corky taste
• A solid scotch that should not be taken lightly

Random Category - What style of movie does this remind you of?

Steve - Whatever genre you consider Indiana Jones. (Its more of the Last Crusade and less of the other two)
Will - Historical

Max - Old Spaghetti Western (every Clint Eastwood film)

Ballantine's Blended Scotch Whiskey 17 yr.

Price: $89.75 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Dumbarton, Scotland

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 8
• Smokiness: 7
• Sweetness: 5
• Caramel, smoke, vanilla
• Quite good, great balance, strong caramel smell, lasts the perfect length of time on the tongue

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 8
• Smokiness: 6
• Sweetness: 6
• Moderately peaty with a good amount of sweetness
• Vanilla, fruit, and smoke/peat flavours make it well balanced
• A little water really improves the taste and settles the oils

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 9.5
• Smokiness: 7
• Sweetness: 4.5
• Tastes like the perfect mixture of power and control
• Reminds me of all good things in the world
• On one hand it's like liquid sunshine, on the other it's like watching the stars on a clear winter night

Random Category - What sex position is this scotch most like?

Steve - Spooning or a threesome, I'm not sure

Max - Cowgirl
Will - Missionary

Glenmorangie 10 yr.

Price: $69.95 (750 ml)

Location of Distillery: Tain, Scotland

Max's Review

• Overall Rating: 5
• Smokiness: 1
• Sweetness: 3

Hints of almond and fresh fruits, with a solvent like after taste. No flavour really stands out as being dominant. Worth trying but I wouldn't have it again.

Will's Review

• Overall Rating: 5
• Smokiness: 4
• Sweetness: 3
• Almond, licorice, chocolate
• Not my favorite. Almost like a strong liquer

Steve's Review

• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Smokiness: 3
• Sweetness: 4
• Tastes like almonds, a bit oily
• A little too much like cough medicine

Random Category - What power tool does this scotch remind you of?

Will - Dremel

Steve - One of those weed wackers with a saw blade

Max - Mastercraft orbital sander

Introduction

"I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly..."
- Ron Burgendy

So if you haven't guessed, this blog is about scotch. Myself (Max) and my buddies Steve and Will began drinking scotch when we were first living together in university. Now we get together once in a while, sip scotch, and pretend to be connoisseurs. This blog is our way to keep track of all the scotchs we've tried, which ones we liked, which ones we didn't, and maybe it will even help others pick a fine glass of liquid amber.

At each meeting of the "Three Guys, Three Cups" scotch club, at least one new scotch will be tasted, rated, and critiqued. Each entry will have the name and age of the scotch, a picture of the bottle, the location it was made, and the price for the size shown. Ratings will be for overall taste (out of 10), smokiness (out of 10), sweetness (out of 10), and a random category we make up on the spot. Each of us will also give our own tasting notes to justify our ratings.

Since none of us really have any clue what we are doing, we're going to use a "tasting wheel" I found using goggle to help discern what flavours we're tasting. The tasting wheel is shown below.

Club rules and code of conduct soon to come. For now...we drink!!