On November 27, we were supposed to join a tweet tasting hosted by thewhiskywire and kindly offered by the historical and ultra prolific independent bottler Douglas Laing. It was about tasting together with a small group of whisky enthusiasts a new blended malt, named Scallywag, that means “rascal”, less or more. And in fact Scallywag turned out to be quite a villain, making us the trick of arriving the day after the tweet tasting. In the package, as a consolation, we also found three other samples, which we will review shortly. They are Douglas Laing single casks just bottled: a Glen Grant, a Dailuaine and a Dufftown. But let’s get to us: Scallywag is a limited edition, a blend entirely composed of Speyside malts, among which there are Mortlach, Macallan and Glenrothes.
N: we have a non age statement, but we would say that most of the casks chosen have not exceeded the ten years of aging; it is simple, nevertheless it’s quite pleasant. In fact it is very characterized, with unmistakable notes of citrus (grapefruit) and various candied. In the background there is a solid malt wall, some dried fruit (almond) and a vanilla quid (lemon curd?). To complete, a slight touch of ginger and strawberries. In general, the sherry influence seems to prevail in the mix.
P: identical to the nose, with the same actors just combined differently, since it looks more rounder, more liqueur-like and slightly more spicy. At a certain point, dark chocolate appears.
F: it is perhaps the most pleasant moment: malty, silky, buttery and with a sherry influence gradually increasing.
Let’s start with the sore note, which beyond any qualitative consideration, is definitely the price. Fifty euros for a NAS blend (but still young) seem honestly too much and they are only partially justified by the fact that it is a small batch. That said, Scallywag has the merit of having well-defined personality and style. There are few elements but well drawn by the master blender, without never being anonymous. If you find it, taste it! The rating is 80/100.
Recommended soundtrack: Richard Cheese – Star Wars Cantina.
