Naked Malt

This is a rather unexpected purchase. Yesterday, I visited Total Wine to restock the gin cabinet, and while I was there... I picked up this $37 bottle of Naked Malt, mistakenly thinking it was Naked Grouse, a whisky I've never tried. Upon returning home, I decided it would be tonight's pour. A superb choice! My initial impression was that this blended Scotch whisky is Johnnie Walker Green Label in disguise. It presents a cheerful copper color with a sweet aroma of sherry, malt, apples, and a hint of pears, along with a touch of baker's chocolate. It's genuinely pleasant and lacks ethanol or rough grain whisky notes. The palate echoes these flavors, adding orchard fruits, sweet raisins, dark chocolate, and sherry notes rich with fruitcake, some baking spices, and a whisper of bitter wood. It has a remarkably substantial presence for an unadulterated blended Scotch whisky. It bears a slight resemblance to Compass Box Spice Tree, but with less spice and more fruit/sherry intensity. Quite delicious. I'm unfamiliar with this bottle. I haven't researched it at all, and I don't know its origin or how it came to be. However, at half the price of JWG, this is undoubtedly a hidden gem and a fantastic discovery. I'm truly enjoying this! This is a pour significantly above average that, in my honest opinion, is exceptional value for money. I suspect it could work well in a Scotch cocktail, but right now, it could easily be my everyday sipper. If forced to choose, I could be content with WT101 bourbon as my only bourbon. The same applies to WT101 rye. Both are good enough that I wouldn't feel I was missing out. This bottle could replace Johnnie Walker Black as my go-to Scotch, and I quite like JWB for what it is. Naked Malt has no peat, unlike JWB, but they compete at the same price point. I genuinely believe this Naked Malt is the superior of the two. I'll look into this later. For now, I'm savoring it and recommend you do the same. It's excellent.

Can you imagine that after tasting 931 whiskies, I had never tried a Naked Grouse from the Famous "Famous Grouse"? Well, that's no longer the case, as I have now tried it and, surprisingly, I enjoyed it very much. On the nose, it's very bourbon-like, with banana and a fancy, very fancy red fruit syrup. There's caramel and floral notes, and cherry syrup, which is incredibly syrupy. Thick honey and apricot peel are present, with some prunes appearing after a few sips. On the palate, expect honey, peaches, and a mild saltiness. There are also fruit spices, if such a thing exists, and apricot peel. The aftertaste is a wonderful stack of hay, boasting the best hay/tobacco leaf note ever. It's very cowboy, very Western, and a very interesting, refined hay aftertaste. Overall, I don't think this is expensive or rare, but it was very rewarding. It's the most "bourbon-like" scotch I've ever had. I don't typically favor this type of dram, but the Naked Grouse is so well-executed that I truly enjoyed it. My score was a solid 86 out of 100.

The nose presents sweetness alongside oloroso sherry, raisins, dark berries, almonds, malt, apple, and chocolate. Upon tasting, red fruit appears first, then raisins and sherry. Nutty nuances and cooked red fruit notes are also present. As it evolves, sherry takes center stage with malt and dried fruit, complemented by subtle oak. It's reminiscent of trail mix, featuring dried grapes and cranberries, almonds, and grains. The conclusion brings forth raisin, prune, sherry, peppercorn, cinnamon, and clove, with whispers of chocolate and caramel. The texture on the palate is light with a faint oiliness. In my view, this surpasses Monkey Shoulder, offering similar pleasant flavors without the mustiness. It doesn't quite match Aberlour 12, but it's the closest option at roughly half the price.

This is the Naked Grouse under a new label. When poured neat, the aroma is of malt, canned peaches, prune, and a buttery apple pastry with some barrel influence. A pleasant mouthfeel leads to a palate of malty sherry fruits, a touch of ginger, and charred wood. It's well-integrated and delivers a straightforward, tasty experience. The finish has fading dried red fruits, barrel wood, char, and malty sugars. This is an excellent, affordable sherry-finished blended malt. It's not overly complex or profound, but it's extremely pleasing.....85/100........The value is outstanding, and this is one of the best budget scotches available. It's superior to Monkey Shoulder for those who enjoy sherry, and a definite must-buy again.....It has a strong Macallan characteristic.

Nose: I detected an unusual sourness in the aroma, which at first was off-putting because it's not what you expect in whiskey, but I grew to enjoy it. Taste: It's a good, full-bodied, smooth, buttery spirit with an acidity reminiscent of pickled apples or tart plums. It was unusual at first, but I ended up really liking it. Aftertaste: Medium-long, with a sweetish spice and oak notes; it's everything you'd expect from a good scotch. Overall: This whiskey is certainly memorable and offers excellent value for its price. A direct comparison, Monkey Shoulder, which I've also had, is clearly forgotten much faster, although it's good in its own way. 4.5/5

A robust Blended Scotch Whisky from The Famous Grouse Distillery in Scotland. It spends its initial maturation in American & European oak barrels, followed by a six-month finishing period in virgin Oloroso Sherry casks. It greets you with a fragrant aroma of grain, wood, fruit, herbs, and spices. Its intricate and smooth body offers tastes of cherry jam, buttered whole wheat bread, malt, peach, raisins, rich toffee pudding, raspberry preserves, sponge cake, cream, and caramel, culminating in a full-bodied and zesty finish of moderate duration, featuring hints of pepper, oak, dark chocolate, and smoke. January 2024