Whyte & Mackay 30 yo Blended Scotch

Whyte & Mackay 30 yo Blended Scotch, Presentation Box, 700ml, 86 proof, standard bottle, about £125 ($226) delivered. Not available in the U.S..


A Japanese only version


Once again it was myself against the tree I'm taking out. The thing is actually starting to tilt a bit so it should be only another 10-15 hours to get it out. Work like that is pretty hard so I was looking forward to a shower and drink before dinner.

Whyte & Mackay 30 yo has a nice golden mahogany color that almost shouts how old it is. Thirty years in oak will do that I guess. As an owner of 5 distilleries including Dalmore and Jura, Whyte & Mackay has plenty of whisky it can blend but for almost all their range Dalmore provides the base.

The nose on this is deep, mellow and sweet. The sherry wood exposes itself immediately with hints of malt, citrus and chocolate. Tasting revels a strong sherry presence; maybe too much sherry for some, along with what struck me as almonds and malt. The finish is medium in length and the sweetness continues until the very end.

This has got to be the perfect scotch for those that have never tried scotch or are pretty much beginners. It gives a superb flavor, has many interesting characteristics and no alcohol bite. Too bad they can't make this at $25 instead of $225. For an advanced scotch drinker this is more of a curiosity, something nice to have but I'm hard pressed to say it is worth $150 more than the excellent 21 yo Whyte & Mackay.
If you get the chance, the 21 yo is a great buy at around £38 in the UK.

Hummm, sorta quiet on this one.

AVB said:

Hummm, sorta quiet on this one.

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Probably because its a really expensive bottle thats very hard to get in the US.

Sounds great though. Thanks as always for the review.

Great review, AVB. Can't qualify as a beginner drink, though, at $200+ ya think?

No, it isn't a beginner drink, that's why I said I wish it was $25 instead of $225. At a lower price point it would be a perfect beginners drink. Even the 21 yo Whyte & Mackay is about $60 in the UK and that is a still a bit high for a beginner. Although you will get 95% of the quality of the 30 yo IMO.

Sounds like it would be good, but I haven't yet decided to spend the money on the Johnny Walker Blue Label although I'd like to. If you were to choose, would you get the Blue Label or the Whyte & Mackay 21 or 30?

The JW Blue and W&M 21 are close in quailty but different in flavor, I can't say which you'd like more if you've never had any Whyte & Mackay. Bang for the buck the W&M 21 is the clear winner. At about $85 delivered to the States it beats the Johnnie Walker Blue ($140) by a fair amount. The Whyte & Mackay 30 is a specialized bottle more for collecting at $226. Yes, I opened mine but I don't collect, I drink what I buy.

Great review AVB

I woulda responded sooner but just got back from a short vaca
Never had a W&M, but with Dalmore as the base, I certainly will add it to the list!



PaulMac

AVB said:

No, it isn't a beginner drink, that's why I said I wish it was $25 instead of $225. At a lower price point it would be a perfect beginners drink. Even the 21 yo Whyte & Mackay is about $60 in the UK and that is a still a bit high for a beginner. Although you will get 95% of the quality of the 30 yo IMO.

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Looks like the 21yo for me.

Excellent review, as always AVB. I'm in agreement with you on the 21 too - it's mighty good. I have one on hand in the arsenal now.

Good to be back after some extensive travels. Will start posting some new scotch reviews soon as well.

MiamiCubano said:

Excellent review, as always AVB. I'm in agreement with you on the 21 too - it's mighty good. I have one on hand in the arsenal now.

Good to be back after some extensive travels. Will start posting some new scotch reviews soon as well.

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Wow, I can't believe you bought a blend. You didn't have too many nice things to say about blends a few months ago. Did I help to change your mind?

AVB said:

MiamiCubano said:

Excellent review, as always AVB.  I'm in agreement with you on the 21 too - it's mighty good.  I have one on hand in the arsenal now.

Good to be back after some extensive travels.  Will start posting some new scotch reviews soon as well.

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Wow, I can't believe you bought a blend. You didn't have too many nice things to say about blends a few months ago. Did I help to change your mind?

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I have only a few blends amongst my selection. Actually, in my recent travels, I caved and purchased a bottle of Macallan's Elegancia. Very mild sort of stuff, but I figured it's duty-free only fare (typically anyway) for Maccallan's, so I'd pick up a bottle. I mention it here only because (while still a single malt) it is far more lighter fare than I'd normally go for.

But, while I generally disdain blends, you'll find a few in my bar. You just happened to hit on one of them in your review.

I must say it's great to be back.

You'll have to do a review of Macallan's Elegancia. I don't have it in my plans to get any because I think the 12,18,Cask Strength,25 and 30 are enough although I am out of the 25 now. I don't know how it is where you are but the Macallan 25 went from $232 to $299 in one jump here. :angry:

wow, amazing...think they gettin 299 for the 25 here as well...nothing is cheaper in my state...gotta tell my merchant to raise his price!






NOT! :sign:
maybe I just buy it when I can


PaulMac

AVB said:

You'll have to do a review of Macallan's Elegancia. I don't have it in my plans to get any because I think the 12,18,Cask Strength,25 and 30 are enough although I am out of the 25 now. I don't know how it is where you are but the Macallan 25 went from $232 to $299 in one jump here. :angry:

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The Macallan's 25 can be found in some shops for around $299 here as well. In others, you'll find it for upwards of $325. I was surprised and angered by the jump as well.

I'll be reviewing the Elegancia very soon. The next in line however is a treasure I've been waiting to get my hands on for some time and finally have:

Ardbeg Provenance 1974.
:love:

This tasting will happen this weekend. I'll post the details/review afterwards.

4 bills for Ardbeg is too much for me, the 1977 can be found for about $110 and fits my plans a bit better. Hopefully, it will be close to the Provenance or Lord of the Isles (which I've had). Like anything else the law of diminishing returns applys. I'm interested in the new 6yo too, it's supposed to be a peat fist in the gut from what I've read.

Same here. I got a deal on this baby. So, in the end, it was worth it and was, as has been said, an offer I could not refuse. I've heard that as well about the 6 year and I too am looking forward to trying it out. Depending on my mood, I love my scotch just like that (which seems to be most of the time).

heya MiamiCubano...
long time no see...did ya catch my review of the Ardbeggedon a while back?
Now THATS an Ardbeg

Slainte

PaulMac

PaulMac said:

heya MiamiCubano...
long time no see...did ya catch my review of the Ardbeggedon a while back?
Now THATS an Ardbeg

Slainte

PaulMac

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Hey there Paul! Yep, it's great to be back.

Didn't catch your review the first go around, but went back and found it. Great review and you're right, that sounds like one damn fine Ardbeg. Never had it myself, so I'm a bit envious.

Since you put the abv for your Ardbeggedon, as a teaser for my upcoming review of the Ardbeg Provenance, I'll tell you the abv is 55.6%. It's a 1974 vintage, bottled in 1998. By all accounts it's going to be a dream and I can't wait. I'll post the review sometime this Sunday hopefully - this will be a Saturday evening affair.

Welcome back, MC, looking forward to your review.

Gregor