Cutty Sark & Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition Blended Scotch Whisky Review

Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky

Cutty Sark

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.

6.0/10 as a sipper; recommended as a mixer
(Note: A review sample was provided by Cutty Sark.)

 Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition Blended Scotch Whisky

Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition

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.

7.5/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Cutty Sark.)

Elijah Craig 23-Year-Old Bourbon Review

Elijah Craig 23

The oldest of the lineup, Elijah Craig 23-year-old bourbon (EC23) is back again this year.  The release from Heaven Hill Brands marks the second year EC23 is available.  The older Elijah Craig releases, 18 years and up, have all been single barrels, and this year’s EC23 is no exception.  My bottle was barreled on 06/19/1990 from barrel 186.  The Elijah Craig 21-year-old I picked up a couple of years ago was barreled close to the same date.  Keeping in line with the older EC releases, EC23 is bottled at 90 proof and is most likely chill-filtered.  Suggested retail pricing for EC23 is about $200.

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Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon (2015) Review
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Photo courtesy of Angel’s Envy

Available this month, the Louisville Distilling Company is releasing their annual limited-edition release of Angel’s Envy Cask Strength.  This year’s batch is limited to 7,500 bottles in the following markets:  AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, NJ, NY, OH, OR, TN, TX, WA.

If you’re a regular visitor to this whiskey blog, you know I’m a fan of Angel’s Envy, both their port cask-finished bourbon and rum cask-finished rye whiskey.  The Cask Strength has always eluded me.  Thankfully, the folks behind Angel’s Envy were kind enough to send over a small review sample.  Suggested retail price is $169.99.  This year’s release comes in at a hearty 127.9 proof.  The Cask Strength bourbon is aged up to seven years.  Barrels are blended together and finished in casks that previously held port wine.

On the nose, there’s typical bourbon aromas of caramel, vanilla and corn mash.  I also get some fruit (think berries) and orange zest.  Taste-wise, there’s a burst of vanilla, fruit (plum, berries) and honey.  A bit of burnt orange pops up afterwards.  The high proof, while a little rough-around-the-edges, makes this a full bodied whiskey.  The finish here is sweet corn, orange and some spice.

You can probably guess what I’m going to say about this one.  It’s a good one.  I think the flavors work well together.  However, I wish the port finish showcased stronger on the finish.  Nitpicking aside, if you like the normal expression of Angel’s Envy bourbon, you’ll most likely find this outstanding.  You wouldn’t be wrong.

8.5/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by Angel’s Envy.)