Black Bottle Blended Scotch
March 4, 2013
I’ve had a lot of recommendations for this. Lesson learned: Commenters know what’s up! This is good stuff at an amazing price. Read on:
Black Bottle is a blended scotch comprised of (according to the website) “seven of the island [Islay]‘s classic malts alongside some of the finest grain available.” Since Islay only has eight active distilleries (Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, and the too-recently-opened Kilchoman) and it’s unlikely to contain any of the very rare and sought-after closed distilleries (Malt Mill, Port Ellen), I think we can safely say what’s in it. In fact, before Kilchoman opened, Black Bottle’s marketing verbage proudly proclaimed the inclusion of product from “all of Islay’s single malt distilleries”. The Black Bottle brand is now owned by Burn Stewart Distillers Ltd., which also owns Bunnahabhain, so it’s also a safe bet that a lot of that distillery’s malt makes it into the blend.
Black Bottle tends to win a lot of awards and has quite a following, even among malt-heads. Oh, here’s the kicker: this guy’s only about $20 a bottle in the US.
Nose: Tarry, earthy overtones, with a smoky barbeque sauce-like sweetness. Oh God, now I can’t smell anything but barbeque sauce! The alcohol tickle is piquant – despite the baseline 40% ABV, this crawls right up your nose. Undercurrents of chewing tobacco and mulching leaves.
Palate: Nice creamy mouthfeel. Green and vegetal up front, then some salted caramels and finally a burst of woodsmoke. Very tame on the tongue. Really, it’s very orderly for something that’s all Islay.
Finish: Only of medium length, despite all the peat. Sweet, burnt sugar, freshly-dug earth. Very mild bitterness in the back on the tongue. Remains sweet and smoky through the fade-out. Pleasant.
With Water: Several drops of water yield processed white sugar in the nose, but kill the smoke. Mouthfeel is not compromised, but the finish is more grassy and bitter. This doesn’t need water – I wouldn’t bother.
Overall: I can see why this has a following. It’s peaty in all the right ways, has the thick, viscous mouthfeel that only a blend with good grain whisky has, and is the right price. At $20, this blows The Black Grouse, Finlaggan, and the mildly-peated Johnnie Walker Black Label out of the water, no contest. Really, a $20 peated blend and I can’t find anything bad to say about it.
Also, it’s worth pointing out that this bottle is a perfect choice for mixed drinks that call for a smoky note. While most of us wouldn’t dream of pouring Lagavulin 16 into a shaker, Black Bottle has both the price point and the level of quality necessary to be great in a cocktail.
I suppose if you were jaded enough, you could say this blend is on the tame side of the peat spectrum. Personally when I’m in the mood for peat I want the full, intense single-malt experience, so I’m not likely to stock a bottle of this… but if you’ve been frustrated in your efforts to find a value blend and enjoy peat, this is your bottle. Either way, I’m calling it a “Must Have” because you can’t find a better peated blend – or almost any blend, for that matter – for this price.
I bought this on Ralfy’s recommendation about a year ago and it took me a long time to choke down. Yes, it is inexpensive, but not at all what I can ever enjoy neat. I finally poured about 3-4 oz of Ardbeg 10 in it and it became acceptable. Probably okay as a mixer though. Too much grain and Bunna for my tastes.
I agree. I was pretty excited when I finally found this in one of my local stores, but I thought it was merely ok. I liked what I could taste of the malt, but I felt the grain was just too overpowering. For cheap blends, I was more impressed with Bank Note, despite the fact that I’m normally a big Islay fan.
I’ll definitely give Black Bottle another try – I really want to like it, as a $20 peated blend is *very* appealing to me.
I agree completely, Robert. Tempted by the low price, I bought this after reading a favorable review in the Murray “Bible.” These things are always matter of taste, but it’s hard for me to understand the favorable review there or here. The whiskey has too much smoke for people who like fruitier Scotches and not nearly enough for any Islay fan. (As a Laphroaig loyalist, I found the stuff deeply unsatisfying.) It also has the kind of nasty, chemical finish seen with inexpensive blends. Perhaps that’s the “grain” that others mention.
I ended up using this as my “Scotch on days when my tastebuds are out of whack” and was glad when it was gone. Never again.
I find Black Bottle just okay. I think as a mixer (though I can’t think of many drinks to use it in) it would work quite well. Perhaps the problem was that I managed to acquire Black Bottle 10 Year, which they no longer make, and it was head and shoulders above the standard bottling.
I have a strange account of black bottle. The first bottle I bought impressed me very much for a blend. It has some smoke and some peat (more peat than smoke). The second bottle I bought has lost it’s luster. It has a distinct vanilla/grainy note that has really began to bother me. I enjoy JWB’s smoke note more than this, and almost find Chivas 12 more satisfying, despite my enjoyment of Islay (laphroaig is my favorite.) I found the author’s Finlaggan comparison interesting…If you really want peat, Finlaggan blows this blend away. I honestly think Finlaggan, due to it’s young age probably, has as much peat as any malt on earth. It’s not as tasty or enjoyable, but Finlaggan truly rivals the Laphroaig 10 on pure smoke. Ir’s not complex at all (only peat, no other notes basically), but for budget peat needs, I’d have to recommend Finlaggan.
All that being said, I still think Black Bottle is better than the majority of blends. It is in the same vain as JWB and Highland Park 12 if you ask me. Although greatly inferior to HP12 and on the same level with (price considered) with Johnnie Walker Black.
I really enjoy your reviews though!
Thanks for your comments, Eric. I think a lot of people have said that Black Bottle has declined a bit, which is entirely possible considering the current difficulty of sourcing malt whisky in Scotland (due to massive demand).
I did buy the black bottle. I found it to be good for the price. Do not add water to this and it is drinkable. The smokey blend I prefer is Islay Mist. Islay Mist is smokey and sweet. It also sells for about the same as the black bottle. Give it a try.
Black Bottle is goooood stuff for $20. “Peat Heads” be warned-the smoke is faint.