William Cadenhead’s 12 year old and 20 year old Blended Scotch
Value is pretty much always at the top of my list when I'm buying a whisky, in fact I'm sure that nearly all of us want to make sure that we don't get ripped off when parting with cash for any product you can mention. Maybe it's an intrinsic trait of the celts that we like to get the best bang for our buck.
Interestingly I was re-reading my Redbreast 12 year old review from 2017 and even then value was a strong theme especially regarding the fledgling renaissance in the Irish whiskey industry. Fast forward 7 years and following a world wide pandemic and a cost of living crisis across pretty much the entire globe I can only guess that we are still looking to get the best bang for our buck.
As we delve into our respective whisky journeys we can definitely fall foul of laser focusing our interest onto certain whisky types....single malts, single pot stills, single barrel releases, limited editions. There's certainly enough in these segments of the whisky world to keep us going for a lifetime but they can often be at the pricier end of the spectrum, especially when getting into the higher age statements.
We may after a few years neglect the segment that potentially was our first introduction to whisky in the first place.....blends. Now before you tut and shake your head disapprovingly at me, let's not forget that we wouldn't have all the aforementioned broad spectrum of whisky if it wasn't for blends. Even today blends make up the bulk of global whisky sales. Granted not all blends are created equal and many of the modern blends today could, in my opinion, put newcomers to whisky off the stuff for life.
Modern Johnny Walker Red Label is frankly atrocious. Dewars, Bells and Grants don't do much for me either but all can probably be improved by being doused in Irn Bru or the mixer of your choice. In Ireland we also have our fair share of pretty substandard blends, Proper Twelve, Lir, Stablemate just to name a few....and some of those aren't even that cheap!
But don't let that put you off. A bit of digging around with specialty whisky shops or online retailers such as Master of Malt or the Whisky Exchange or even going direct to the likes of the Cadenhead online shop can garner rich rewards when looking at blended whisky.
Now the bottles I'm reviewing here are going back in time, to 2019 in fact, a little so prices may have risen a little but checking out the Cadenhead's website you can currently get their 7 Star blend for £40/$51/€48.
The first blend we have on offer is the 12 year old blended scotch. This was part of a solera system so as each batch was released the solera would be topped up with new whiskies which would be allowed to marry before bottling and subsequently being topped up with new whisky once more. Here's some info on it from Mark Watt (now of Watt Whisky) who at the time was director of sales at Cadenhead's:
The theory behind the blend is to maintain a predominately fruity, sherry cask blended whisky which evolves from from batch to batch. To achieve this we have employed a Solera type system of maturation, which basically means the people that work in the warehouse hate me!
I ordered batch 9 of this release which had Benrinnes, Fettercairn and Invergordon distilleries added to the previous batch. It cost me £30.50 on release or roughly $39/€37. It's like all things Cadenhead's non chill filtered and natural colour.
The second blend we are looking at is the 20 year old blended scotch from Cadenhead's, this time batch 2 that was also released in 2019. This took the vatting for batch 1 and added whisky from Benrinnes and Strathclyde distilleries. I can't recall exactky how much this cost on release but I think it was near the £60/$76/$73. I also can't recall who sent me this sample but I'm much obliged to the person who did.
I really need to make more copious notes on who gives me stuff.
Let's taste.
William Cadenhead 12 year old blended scotch Batch 9 46% abv
Nose: Pretty sherry dominant – sweet raisins and cola cubes, icing sugar dusted over a warm pastry. Some gingerbread and new leather. Soft oak, marzipan and vanilla at the end.
Palate: A light touch on arrival and a thinnish mouthfeel. The sherry notes are there but it’s not an out and out sherry bomb. Raisins again with some milk chocolate and vanilla cream. Stem ginger syrup and a sliver of oak.
Finish: Not too long with some molasses, toasted nuts and a touch of espresso.
Score: 6 out of 10
William Cadenhead 20 year old blended scotch Batch 2 46%
Nose: Rich & lush – furniture polish, strawberry laces, black cherries and cola cubes. Marzipan and vanilla along with orange marmalade. There is a nice herbal quality too, almost like a cough tincture. Balsamic reduction and fresh tobacco leaf. Finally a lick of menthol.
Palate: Again a soft arrival but the mouthfeel is better. Crème brûlée and butterscotch sauce, raisins, dates along with orange segments and warming ground ginger. Balsamic reduction is there again along with some spicy oak.
Finish: Medium in length with dark chocolate and mocha notes.
Score: 6 out of 10
Overall: Both were really solid experiences especially for the price. Neither were overly complex but they were both well balanced and easy to enjoy. The 12 year old was a little sweeter while the 20 year old was a little on the darker side. At any rate they were a good reminder to not to be afraid to explore the blended market especially if looking for value for money.
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