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Whisky Review: Black Bottle Whisky

We review the newly reformulated Black Bottle whisky, a blend that once contained malt from all seven active Islay distilleries.

OVERALL RATING

6
  • Margarett Waterbury is a whiskey enthusiast and industry expert.
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Tasting Notes

About:

No age statement, 86 proof, blended Scotch whisky.
Appearance:
Rich amber
Nose:
There’s something very humid in the nose, funky and feinty, with lots of wet cereal, old malt porridge, and damp cardboard. There’s also electrical tape, a ribbon of industrial smoke, bits of plastic here and there, and plenty of brash oak to boot. It’s clunky and a little indistinct, something like Cutty Sark Prohibition without the swagger.
Palate:
On the palate, there’s fresh wort, maduro cigar, and deeply toasted whole wheat bread, plus a tantalizing herbal note in the finish that never quite manages to break through the low-hanging smog. It’s masculine and full-bodied, but again, there’s a kind of vagueness, a lack of clear perspective. On the bright side, it’s mercifully free of that cheap apple juice flavor that plagues many blends.
Finish:
Comments:
Black Bottle is no longer Islay-inspired, but it’s hard to say what it is inspired by. Is it smoky? Yes. Is it sweet? Yes. Is it spicy? Yes. Is it grainy? Yes. Too rugged to be a Dewar’s, it’s also too sweet-and-syrupy to be grouped with some of the more rugged blends like Teacher’s, that pugilistic low-end concoction that somehow manages to retain distinctiveness and charm. rnrnBut whatever it is, it’s not bad, just a bit confusing—and, of course, delivered in gorgeous packaging. A head-scratcher, but one I’m not sad to ponder again.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Margarett Waterbury

Margarett Waterbury is the author of "Scotch: A Complete Introduction to Scotland's Whiskies" and a full-time freelance writer and editor specializing in the beverage industry. Her work has graced the pages of numerous publications, including Whisky Advocate, Food and Wine, Spirited Magazine, Artisan Spirit, Edible Seattle, Sip Northwest, Civil Eats, Travel Oregon, and many others. She also boasts editorial experience as the former managing editor of Edible Portland and as a co-founder and former managing editor of The Whiskey Wash. In recognition of her talent, Margarett received the Alan Lodge Young Drinks Writer of the Year award in 2017 and was awarded fellowships for the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers in 2017 and 2019.

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