Finish: Caramel, soft pepper, big vanilla, roasted almonds, and peat, finishing on orange chocolate. Medium in length. Very smooth and soft. Nose: delicate, smooth, subtle smoke and sweet peat intermingle with honey and toffee. There is a slight citric note as well. Lest anyone be put-off by that color comparison, however, my cat’s a good guy, if sometimes noisy, and the whiskey is a good whiskey, if a bit nosey. For lovers of peaty scotch, like me, that’s not at all a bad thing; in fact, it’s what recommends this particular blended Scotch to those who might otherwise scoff at blends. Finish: A very gradual fade down of the cocoa, and a fade up of the spice and oak. So subtle and unexpectedly elegant. 2.0

Palate: creamy and smooth. It goes from sweet to peat - honey intermingled with delicate peat and a soft smokey texture. Matthew Gloag wins the contract to supply food and wine for the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to Perth

Already a customer?

While many sources claim the Famous Grouse story began in 1800, the story of Matthew Gloag & Sons didn’t start with the Gloags at all. Rather, it began with the Browns. THE PERFECT GIFT: This award-winning (Gold at the International Wine and Spirits Competition 2022) Scotch Whisky is an impressive gift for someone who appreciates smooth and smoky whiskies. The perfect gift to taste. Finish: the sweet-peat palate gives way immediately to a mellow cinnamon spice, itself fading into drying peat. Firstly this has the standard Famous Grouse blend in it but with some other peat based malt added in. This creates in my opinion a more punchy Whisky. William Gloag dies; his nephew, Matthew Gloag III, takes over the business. The Gloags register their first blended Scotch: the Brig o’ Perth

Conclusion - A simple yet decent blend... or is it? After the initial glass, I poured a second, this time with a splash of water (as always). We get something very different with this approach.Taste: Incredibly smooth and light, once again not forcing the issue with the peat and the smoke. The brown sugar on the nose has become dark chocolate on the tongue, and it mingles beautifully with the spice. Makes me think of a bar of dark chocolate with chilli that someone once gave me. I wasn't a fan of it at the time, but on tasting this I may have to try that chocolate again. Intriguing stuff. 2.0 Palate: Very smooth arrival. Peat, smoke, caramel, vanilla, and tobacco. The flavours are strong enough, but they don’t overwhelm the gentle quality of the whisky.

PALATE: Very similar in my view to the standard Famous Grouse but with a smoky taste which at no point overpowers the Whisky. Vanilla and spice (pepper) can be found especially if you hold it in your mouth.. There are fruits but i found the smoke taste masked the fruits until i added water which really opened it up. Oranges and a hint of chocolate come through once the water has had time to take effect! The Famous Grouse blend is one of the top-selling brands globally, and as with many blends, it was conceived by a grocer and drinks merchant named Matthew Gloag. The Famous Grouse blend comprises whisky from various distilleries, including Macallan, Glenrothes and Highland Park. When US Prohibition came into force in January 1920, the Scotch world was dismayed. Economic depression, coupled with high taxation, had forced a high reliance on export markets. However, as was the case with a handful of other blenders, the company’s distribution to markets close to the United States such as Canada, Latin America and the West Indies suddenly shot up. If some shipments made their way into the States, then so be it.NOSE: Peat and smoke come through at once when nosing. There are some medicinal notes, sweetness and wood as well. Notes of fresh pear and malt.