A random old blend I picked up since I thought it would be a typical blend for the era. The slogan ‘Scotch at its lightest’ is a bit of a giveaway on how people liked their booze in the 1980s and I thought it would be interesting to taste it.

I tried it a few months ago when I took the bottle to Maltstock (where only one person drank a glass of it) and then I thought it was a very one dimensional ‘sal ammoniac’ flavour. It’s used in the Netherlands to flavour liquorice. It’s a very acquierd taste which I have never seem to have acquired. I thought to give it a whirl to see what it really is about.

Ambassador Deluxe Scotch Whisky

Sniff:
Very light with scents of grain and a hint of chemicals, probabkly the sal ammoniac thingy (we call it salmiak). It does have a hidden layer of slight complexity and warmth. The complexity can also be read as: there is more than just the chemical bit.

Sip:
Gentle and young, with a hint of cream. That salmiak thingy is back again too, with liquorice and I get the feeling some sherry casks are involved in this blend too. It does have some fruity flavours hidden around somewhere. Also vanilla, white pepper, but all very thin.

Swallow:
The finish isn’t too bad either, with creamy vanilla, summery and light with a hint of earthiness.

Well, what can I say. It’s not a bad whisky. It’s just very uninteresting, or at least on par with regular blends. I prefer this to JW red, but I prefer almost everything to that. Not a bad buy for about € 25 or so.

Is it that staple from the 1980s? Maybe, I think so but it is lighter than most blends from that era that I’ve tried. Still a pretty good representation.

Ambassador, 40%, bottled +/- 1985. Should be around € 30 in auctions.