As we know by now, Whiskybase releases a whisky for every 10,000 whiskies added to their database. The last one that was released is a blended malt of 18 years old, at a very limited ABV of 46.6%.

What we also ‘know’ is that this is a blended malt of Edrington stock, which means that this most likely is Glenrothes and Tamdhu. There might be some Highland Park in there too, and technically Macallan is not impossible either. Unlikely, but not impossible.

Let’s do the tasting notes first, and then get into a bit of a rant.

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
A lot of juicy fruitiness, typical fresh sherry on a backdrop of high quality malt. Since this is made from Edrington stock, it makes sense that there’s a lot of Glenrothes and Tamdhu in the mix, and that’s noticeable with the typical fruitiness that goes along with it. Some oak on the background, and cask is king!

Sip:
The palate is a lot more spicy than I initially expected. Still very fruity but there’s some chili heat and more oak than before. Sawdust and ginger. Quite some oak here too.

Swallow:
The finish carries on with the dryness from the palate, but with more fruitiness. Oranges, apricots with stones and almonds. A rather long finish with warming flavors of oak and roasted barley too.

It’s not overly surprising that this is mostly a drinking whisky and doesn’t offer the greatest complexity and depth. Having said that, though, it’s a great whisky for kicking back and just simply enjoying a dram. There are no downsides to drinking this. The ABV isn’t too high, which makes a second (or third) glass of whisky rather likely. There’s great fruitiness that give a lot of nice flavors, and are not surprising from the distilleries used in the blend.

The lower ABV is a benefit, in this case.

So, all in all, a rather good dram that didn’t break the bank too much. Not surprisingly, my bottle is empty by now, since it’s a tad too drinkable…

87/100

Blended Malt, 18yo, 2001-2019, Sherry Butt 980, 46.6%, Whiskybase. Now available for between 89 and 95 euros.

Now for that wee rant.

This whisky is a symptom of something we all know about. Whisky is too expensive. As said in the review above, this is a great drinking whisky. Categorically (now based on price) I guess the MaltManiacs would put this under ‘daily drinkers’.

However, just a few years ago, a daily drinker would be under € 50. When this came out, it was € 80 or 85. Of course, this is a sherry cask, and it’s 18 years old. But blended product was a lot cheaper than single malts, and 18 year old single malts weren’t this expensive.

Of course, or at least, I assume, Whiskybase is not at fault here, since casks haven’t gotten any cheaper either. This is a problem for the entire whisky industry.

Initially, I doubted whether or not to buy two bottles instead of just one, but in the end this is a whisky that should cost 60 euros, and not 85. However, if that’s keeping you back you should go back to drinking pilsners…

A bummer, but what can you do.