The Christmas season is coming up which means now is the time to start thinking about what gifts you need to buy and what your budget is. In terms of getting great offers on whisky one of the better kept secrets is Amazon.
In a world where we are increasingly seeing discounts of spirits being a faux pas Amazon still has Lightening Deals, Deals of the Day and Sale items on a regular basis. One of the best regular ongoing deals though is this new Naked Grouse which is now 100% malt whisky.
One the day of writing Amazon are back selling at around the RRP of £27 in the UK but I managed to get it with free delivery for an amazing £18.
The Dram
Bottled in a modern craft style bottle without a box at 40% this is a more premium Grouse product that the “famous” one. The bottle for me reminds me of a large ale bottle or something. I am not sure why this is called naked but its made up completely of malt whisky from distilleries in the Edrington portfolio with Highland Park and Macallan name checked in the marketing but not on the bottle.
On the bottle you get the blurb pictured above which tells us this has a first-fill sherry finish to it. There is no information on what the recipe is though in terms of ages or ratio’s of the components. There is also no information on colouring or filtering the whisky. The marketing and naming of the bottle to me implies it but there that is about as much as you get. The ABV being so low though makes me think it has been filtered at least.
Tasting Notes
Colour – golden yellow
Nose – The nose brings ex-bourbon sweetness from honey and vanilla. The youthful spirit still retains a malty freshness which ale lovers will like. There is a touch of charring and spices from cloves.
Palate – The first fill sherry is most noticeable in the palate. The sherry is quite intense and full on. If anything there is a little too much from the sherry finish which I think is PX sherry. It brings in richness and syrupy viscous sweetness. caramel, over ripe grapes wash out most of the flavours in the nose.
Finish – The finish is quite short and that is to be expected with the strength. There is a lot of ginger and this brings back all the ex-bourbon influences we found on the nose initially. There is again a whiff of smoke or charring from the cask.
Final Thoughts
The packaging and pricing of this product is excellent. A very well executed whisky which tastes good and sits nicely in the market around things like Glen Moray Sherry Finish and whole host of Supermarket fodder whiskies which make up the bulk of most peoples collections.
I am very glad I bought this bottle but the only criticism I have is that it is perhaps a little too one dimensional. Given the price point and what this sets out to do this is a minor point and being very picky. However, this is the second version of the Naked Grouse where the first was a blend with some grain whisky. Apparently, that version has more interest and character to it which might be counter-initiative to many people. The blended version is out of production now so if I come across a sample or a bottle I hope to do a comparison and see what I think for myself.
Malted 