Scotch Q&A

Originally Posted by AD720

Overall it was OK. It was a little sweet and almost syrupy for me. There was some interesting almost cirtusy sweetness to it that was pleasing but I think it was a little too sweet overall. I don't know if that is something that is indicative of Highland scotches. (Kayaker, maybe you can chime in there)

I was trying to find out more about the McClelland's line, but my source is out of the country right now. Basically each of these regional malts is a young version from a more popular distillery. For example, I do remember being told that the Islay one is a young Bowmore. The actual age I don't know, but it has to be at least 3 years and is likely younger than 10. But I can't remember what distilleries are used for the other regions.

With regards to highland malts, they tend to be rich and robust. I think about Highland Park and Glenfarclas. I guess they can be considered a little sweet too. However, each region has scotch that may not show itself as a typical example.

One thing I wonder about is whether or not spirit caramel was used in the one you are talking about. It's the only ingredient that is allowed to be added to scotch that is not a necessary part of the process. The caramel adds colour making whisky look richer, but it may also make it sweeter. All the natural colour in Scotch comes from the barrel during the aging process. Therefore a younger whisky would have even less colour naturally and might require more caramel to make it look richer.

I don't know if this is the case here. I will drop by a liquor store to take a look at the bottles myself, and I will see if I can track down my source for more info.

Hope this helps.