Grangestone Highland Single Malt Rum Cask Finish

For those not familiar with Grangestone, it's one of Total Wine’s own labels, offering both no-age-statement and aged expressions, along with blends. It's a William Grant & Sons product, and rumors suggest it's likely made at their Kininvie distillery. I believe Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask is the only other rum-finished spirit I've sampled, so I decided to try this one, as it sounded somewhat intriguing and unique (and was quite affordable). **Abv:** 40% **Price:** $28.99 at Total Wine in Houston, Texas **Setting:** Neat in a Glencairn, with a large basset hound partly in my lap. **Color:** Orange **Nose:** Smells like tequila with salt, rum, baked apples, and baking spices. It's very promising, with two distinct profiles clashing: one that strongly resembles tequila with salt, and another that is more characteristic of rum. Both are enjoyable. **(18/25 points)** **Taste:** Oranges, baked apples, baking spices, and cloves. Well, that took a turn for the worse. The rum flavors are present, but the overall taste is muted and flat. **(25/50 points)** **Finish:** Brief. Alcohol, honey, and cloves. You'll miss it if you blink. **(7/25) points)** **Conclusion:** This is rather awful. The aroma begins with promise, but the taste and finish truly fall apart. I do question if it might have deteriorated in the bottle, as I opened this particular one about five months ago and recall it being more mediocre than bad. I'll still finish the bottle, but this experience has made me wary of Grangestone. If anyone else has tried other Grangestone products, I'd be interested to hear about your experiences. **50/100**

This brand's rum cask finish, a combination of American oak casked with a rum cask finish, results in a bright honey-colored spirit with a noticeable aroma. The nose presents an inviting aroma of sweet sugary rum notes that develops into an earthy, oaky aroma heavily influenced by malt; subtle notes of caramelized sugar peek through with hints of spice. The malt is noticeable and interrupts what would be a delightful, inviting aroma; while the smell of malt isn't bad per se, it is most prominent. The taste is fairly heavy malt with a dry spice finish; the inclusion of any fruit or sweet notes of sugar or rum influence are fleeting to borderline unnoticeable. The strong presence of ethanol is apparent and can hijack what would mimic some sherried inspired spirit; instead, it's entirely missed with a bomb of heavy spice, limited oak, sugar, and practically void of much else. It's hard to be disappointed in something so friendly in price, but with an expectation of rum influence, that opportunity is missed due to overpowering notes of oak, malt, and spice. While inexpensive, it doesn't live up to the small investment, and probably wouldn't be worth a revisit. What's not bad is the spirit; it's drinkable but is simply not better than other offerings at this price under the same product label. Next. —the scotch guy

The aroma is typical scotch, perhaps with a slight rum influence offering sweetness and the faintest hint of banana. There's also a somewhat leathery scent. The palate is quite standard for scotch, but it has a pleasant rum sweetness and a whisper of rum-like smoke. It's fairly light on the palate, which works with the flavor balance, though the generic scotch flavor is a bit too prominent. The aroma is a moderately rich scotch, but not particularly special beyond a bit of mustiness. On the palate, the spirit is light, initially featuring plenty of hay. There are hints of smoke, malt, and salt that evoke decent scotch with considerable sweetness, but the lightness and alcohol dominate. The flavor has minor complexity and the rum sweetness is nice, but the industrial alcohol flavor quickly takes over. It's drinkable, but certainly not outstanding. Clan MacGregor is better. The aroma is flat and scotch-like, with perhaps the faintest hint of orange blossom and a little vanilla. It smells sufficiently rich. The palate is pretty standard scotch with some richness. Its sweetness is a bit floral, but the underlying bitterness is unpleasant. It doesn't develop as much as Glenmorangie The Original and has more off-notes, but its flavor is slightly more off.

I'm enjoying some 50ml samples I acquired from Total Wine. This Scotch whisky was tasted neat from a glencairn. I allowed the whisky ample time to settle and rest. Subtle and intriguing aromas emerge from the glass. A vigorous swirl amplifies them, revealing green apples, syrup, and vague fruity notes. A faint hint of rum is also present. The nose is inviting but could be richer. I'm somewhat pleased with its direction. On the palate, the entry is notably sweet and creamy. The sweetness is underpinned by a pleasant peppery foundation, just enough to warm the throat and sharpen the senses. I detect honey, green vegetation, coconut, and a tart woodiness with a hint of bitterness around mid-palate. That bitter note accompanies a warm fade to a moderate finish, leaving a sweet and peppery aftertaste. I enjoy this whisky. It's not exceptional, but it's enjoyable for now. I have no idea of its retail price per 750ml, but it would need to be significantly less expensive than something like a Monkey Shoulder, which is both more robust and refined, for me to consider purchasing a bottle. Nevertheless, this has been a pleasant dram and a nice distraction on a stormy afternoon.

Nose - banana, pineapple, vanilla cream, honey, caramel, cereal grain, hay, apple juice, citrus zest, mild oak, floral notes, slight to moderate ethanol sting. Taste - vanilla cream, honey, apricot, citrus zest, young grain, black pepper, ginger, caramel, banana, apple juice, hay, brine, mild oak, noticeable alcohol burn, finishing quickly with young, bright alcohol, generic citrus, brine, and grass flavor. It appears my Grangestone ordeal continues with this gem found at the bottom of my Total Wine sample bag. To be fair, it's not terrible. It's superior to the Sherry Cask, slightly better than the Bourbon Cask, and definitely inferior to the 12 year. It's clearly quite young, with a distinct malty graininess throughout. The rum finish is apparent in the pineapple and banana notes, but it's not overwhelming and seems reasonably well executed (or perhaps my memory of the Sherry Cask nightmare is just that strong). Hopefully, I can now leave Grangestone behind. I'm somewhat curious about their higher age statement offerings, but not enough to risk buying a bottle.

Decided to try a few of the store brands. Got a couple scotches and a bourbon. I really love another brand's rum cask so was hopeful. Poured neat, the nose is promising with nice sweet island fruits from the rum cask. A little dose of malt and some barrel wood as well. It's a bit light but still pleasant. The palate starts out good with fruity rum-sweetened malt but drops away to dry oak and straw. Not much depth to speak of; this is just too young and has yet to develop any strong flavor or complexity. It's not bad or offensive, it's just lacking. I like where it's heading; if it had more time it might get there. The finish is short with dry oak and distant malt, the rum influence a memory in the background. Overall, it's still a decent budget single malt with some rummy overtones. I'm at the point where I need more body and weight from my scotch so would not repurchase........ 73/100.......comparing this to another mentioned bottle is like high school football to the NFL.