A Scot on Scotch

WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE

What next for Black Bottle…

Neill Murphy of A Scot on Scotch reviews the Black Bottle Captain’s Cask Blended Scotch Whisky.

Black Bottle is a popular Scotch whisky brand that started life in Aberdeenshire in 1879. It was created by Charles, David and Gordon Graham, a family of tea-blenders who transitioned to whisky making. They packaged their whisky in distinctive black bottles from Germany but changed to green glass when the 20th Century saw trade relations break down across the continent. It was only fairly recently that the whisky returned to its original look.

Black Bottle has gone through many owners over the years and the recipe has changed depending on whoever happened to be in charge at the time. The Grahams worked with spirit produced near their Aberdeen base but that has evolved over the years. Under Burn Stewart the whisky took on the famous flavours of Islay with all seven of the island’s distilleries included in the blend. As a result, it became popular with fans of smoky whisky. Sadly, recent years have seen a reduction in the Islay content, a change which left many long-term buyers disappointed.

Burn Stewart later became Distell and the new owners invested time and money in an attempt to build the brand’s profile. In order to do so, they launched the Alchemy Series, a range of limited edition, higher-abv blends that featured interesting cask finishes. However, since Distell has now become CVH, it remains to be seen whether or not that project will continue.

Personally, I hope we see more from Black Bottle. Even with all the recipe changes, I’ve always found the standard expression to be one of the better “bottom-shelf” blends and the Alchemy Series has produced some real gems at a very reasonable price.

Black Bottle Captain’s Cask Review

The Captain’s Cask features malt whiskies finished in ex-rum casks and comes at a bottling strength of 46.3% abv.

Tasting notes: The nose shows honey, Hobnob biscuits and oatcakes. The rum comes through and reminds me of rum and raisin ice cream. Also orange peel and lemon juice, baked apples and wheat flour. There isn’t a huge amount of smoke but it’s there in the background with a slight ashy note. There’s a meatiness, too, like someone chargrilling a steak a few doors down. The palate showcases honey and caramel, raisins and dark chocolate. Buttered rum. Toffee. Winter spices – like a mulled wine spice mix. Gingerbread. Dry, lightly smoky finish.

Thoughts: This is a pleasant wee drop from Black Bottle. Especially given the low price point. It’s quite lovely to see a blend bottled at 46.3%, something we don’t encounter very often. The grain component gives a wee lightness of body but there’s no lack of intensity where flavour is concerned. It’s also very nicely balanced – the rum comes through, but not too much. The smoke comes through, but not too much and there’s a touch of dryness, but not too much. The whole thing is really well put together. In fact, I’d go so far as to say this is a great whisky. Why don’t more blends do stuff like this?

Price: £27. Great dram for a great price. Keep them coming, please, CVH.

For more about Black Bottle visit here

About A Scot on Scotch

Contact