Review by: The Muskox

It’s no secret that good cheap malts in the classic Lowland style are hard to come by (unless you realize the secret that Arran is pretty much a Lowland malt). Douglas Laing might be able to help us here with their Lowland regional blended malt.

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Distillery: Blend of undisclosed Lowlands distilleries.

Bottler: Douglas Laing.

Region: Lowlands/Blended malt.

ABV: 46.2%.

Age: No age statement. Not sure which batch this is from.

Cask type: Undisclosed, presumably refill American oak.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: 0.3, Pale gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Light and fresh. Fruit notes of underripe peaches and strawberries, tangerine, lemon, and watermelon. Fresh grass. Soft buttery pastries and dark bread with a slightly raw flour note. Sunflower seeds and a hint of bubblegum.

Palate: Medium body, no hint of proof whatsoever. Arrives with mild and rounded sweet notes of honeysuckle, banana, and cantaloupe, along with dry maltiness. Development deepens the maltiness and brings a subtle herbaceous character. Lavender and subtle rosemary.

Finish: Earthy and wet, but rather short. Damp grass for days! Radishes, watermelon, watermelon radishes. More dry malt and lavender. Wheat bread and nutmeg.

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Conclusion: I’ve heard less-than-stellar things about this whisky but my expectations have been cleanly surpassed. My experience with this sort of cheap no-age-statement blended malts is the risk of youthful harshness. That’s nowhere to be found in this malt, where there’s nary a harsh corner or off note to be found. What can be found is an extremely approachable whisky that’s extremely mild, almost to a fault, but not bereft of complexity or uniqueness. With its floral character, soft fruit, and delicate malt notes, I think this whisky tastes different enough from your standard bourbon-cask Speyside, or from something like Compass Box Orchard House (review forthcoming), that it ably fills that niche. It’s much closer to Daftmill than I’d ever expected it to be. Am I going insane?

Final Score: 82.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.