Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky

Cutty Sark was launched in 1923, as Prohibition gripped the United States.  It’s a blended Scotch whiskey comprised of single malt whiskies from The Macallan, Highland Park and The Glenrothes along with grain whiskies aged in American oak casks.  It was created for the booming cocktail culture at the time.  Known as a light style of whisky, Cutty Sark worked beautifully in cocktails by not overpowering other ingredients.

The brand is now owned by the Edrington Group, who also own The Macallan, Highland Park and The Glenrothes distilleries. Cutty Sark is bottled at 40% abv and sells for under $20.

Cutty Sark starts things off with honey, lemon zest, malt and a touch of vanilla.  Those aromas carry over onto the palate.  Light-bodied, a sweet malted grain is prominent, seasoned with fresh lemon and a light syrup.  There’s a bit of spice on the back of the palate going into the finish.  That spice doesn’t last long and provides a fairly quick and clean finish.

Let’s pass on this as a sipper.  This isn’t a bad whisky, but it’s priced and designed to be a mixer, which is how I’m going to recommend it.  If you’re picking up a Cutty Sark to sip on, scroll down the page.

 Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition Blended Scotch Whisky

The Prohibition Edition of Cutty Sark is a salute to Captain William S. McCoy, a smuggler of Cutty Sark whisky during Prohibition.  Presented in a black glass bottle with an old style label, Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition is bottled at 50% abv for about $30ish.  The brand is calling this blend a “small batch”, though there is no telling how much smaller it is compared to the traditional Cutty Sark blend.  Bonus points for the blend being non-chill filtered.

A noticeably darker color than the standard blend, Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition has similar aromas to it’s sibling – sweet malt, lemon zest.  However, it is deeper and richer, and has more vanilla and introduces caramel and spice.  The higher proof helps deliver a better flavor experience without the roughness a 50% abv whisky can sometimes have.  The finish here is long, with a pepper/sweet malt combination hitting your tongue.

Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition is a robust blend, without being overly complex.  It’s definitely several steps ahead of the standard Cutty Sark blend.  This one will work both as a sipper and a great mixer.