Thanks a Lot

Douglas Laing: King of Scots - 40% (Old bottling - Italian Export)

Made from real kings

Despite my general misanthropy and surly demeanour, I have a friend. Actually, I have a few and a couple of them are whisky enthusiasts. On a semi-regular basis one of us will host a blind tasting evening; a nice meal, a sporting event on the telly and six drams (10ml) that are, at that point, unknown to the guests. Each guest will make their tasting notes, maybe even have a stab at ABV/region/distillery etc. At the end of all six, the host does the big reveal; it's a lot of fun, I urge you all to try it. 

Both of these friends are regular visitors to online whisky auctions. One of them will aim for orthodox bottlings with varying degrees of success, whilst the other tends to plump for some of the weirdest shit imaginable and, as a result, almost always gets them - Lithuanian death whisky, anyone?

It is thanks to the latter, @cecilnorris1988 if you want to look him up (rugby player, dad-to-be, laughs like a girl), that halfway through a blind tasting, I got my first experience of the recently auctioned King of Scots. Looking back at my notes for the evening I rated it 3/10 and thought it was absolutely abysmal. However, as a result of the other whisky pal (not a Twitter member; he believes that the internet steals your soul) remarking that I only review whiskies I like, I find myself sat down with another dram of this whisky looking to give it a fair appraisal on a clear palate.

Nose:

Weak. Saccharine rum-raisin odour with slight lemon sherbet notes. Thoroughly uninspiring. A little patience rewards me with a hot plastic stench.

The nose is all but destroyed by the addition of just a few drops of water. It's a bit of a relief really. Is there a suggestion of.....no, not at all.

Palate:

More saccharine with minimal spark and a bitter final bow. Watery mouthfeel. I'd go so far as to say this is quite unpleasant.

With water...yeah, that's really not good at all. The sweetness has departed leaving an awful, ashy bitterness. Very few redeeming qualities here.

Finish:

Bitter again with wisps of menthol and hot, feinty flashes. Mercifully, it's quite short.

Surprisingly, the finish is unaffected by water. Proof positive that there is no God.

Thoughts:

I was either overgenerous with my scoring when I first tried this whisky or its position in the middle of the lineup did it a few favours. I'm struggling to think of anything good to say about this other than I don't own a bottle.

Grade: E

Utter bilge. It cost @cecilnorris1988 £10 + P&P. You were robbed mate.