Statesman NAS 40% Blend Blackstone

Why not do a cheap blend for once, just to see what one can get for around 3 quid these days, now that single malt prices are increasing at the level it is. It's got all those nice words such as "Special Quality", "Finest Old", "A rare selection", "Perfectly blended" and "Fully Matured", which all really tells me nothing about the product. It's imported and bottled by german company Blackstone. The color is golden. It smells light, perfumy, malty, some cereals, candy floss, stearic, a bit spirity, surely much young spirit. The taste is sweet, malty, some hay, slightly bitter, but really there's no off-notes or anything, just a very safe and plain spirit/whisky for those that barely can handle their Vodka. Don't get me wrong, there are great Vodkas out there, but this is a very basic whisky.(?) The finish is salty, barley, citric, lemon peel, orange peel, nice bitter notes, a pleasant surprise after the initial vagueness.

Hard to score, the quality of the finish surpasses the nose and palate by miles: 4



Next tasting: Fettercairn Distillery