The much anticipated David Beckham endorsed single grain whisky, produced at Cameronbridge distillery. A combination of first-fill, rejuvenated and refill bourbon barrel-matured whiskies are used and Beckham, along with Simon Fuller, is very much involved in the development of the Haig Club brand.
The Haig dynasty meanwhile is the stuff of legend, with Robert Haig getting himself into trouble for distilling on the sabbath back in 1655! Cameronbridge was founded by John Haig in 1824, and a continuous still designed by Robert Stein (who was John's uncle) was soon installed at the site for the production of grain whisky, predating Aeneas Coffey's famous patent for his own version of the continuous still by a handful of years.
The grain whisky produced at Cameronbridge would naturally become integral to the well-loved Haig blended whiskies and now the Haig brand has been reinvented for a new generation and new markets. It may seem like a scary new world to some, but grain whisky is on the march, and Haig Club is at the very forefront.
It doesn't jump out at you, granted, but there's more here than meets the eye (/nose). Apple crumble, expressed lemon peel and a touch of mango. Millionaire's shortbread, banoffee pie, coconut milk, dried grass, orange Turkish delight and cardamom.
Toffee and vanilla with pleasant supporting oak notes. Fresh banana (neither overpowering nor artificial), a hint of nougat and honeycomb pieces.
Praline, cinnamon and a little ginger with perhaps a hint of cardamom returning right at the death.
Approachable, adaptable, good mouthfeel (I chucked some ice in afterwards and the texture was great). A hugely accessible whisky with tasty spice, toffee and, with the ice now, increasingly some tropical fruit notes too.
My second bottle of this stuff. Reminds me somewhat of Nikka's Coffey grain, which was far more complex than this but unpleasantly sweet and bourbony. Although this seems to be a poor man's version as far as complexity, it's doing marginally better than the Nikka. It's prefectly drinkable and there's nothing wrong with it but there seems to be some kind of distance between it's components somehow as though everything doesn't quite fit together right. Not to be harsh but it tastes to me like a mixture of Johnny Walker's red and Jack Daniels watered down with some vodka and with a pinch of some kind of mulled wine mix thrown in to cheer things up. Overall it's OK. It's just dull and boring and doesn't have much going for it other than the nice bottle. Easy to down. Good for people who drink whiskey by the gallon and don't want to think about it too much. Also good if you like designer bottles for your Instagram pics... like me :) ....Otherwise don't bother. Th Very overpriced for what it is.
Not the best not the worst...easy to drink, smooth, yes lacks character, but ive had way way worse, a mid range whisky.... now the good part here in NYC atleast this stuff is selling for 20$ 750ML .... the market has spoken, taste much better now that my wallet is happy too :)
This is a prime example of companies taking the p*ss out if the consumer. Lets put the poor liquid into a fancy bottle and punch up the price by 25%. Oh and lets employ a retired football star to take it to market...doesn't matter that he doesn't really drink whisky or know anything about it. The whisky itself is bland, thin and lacking in any character whatsoever! It grieves me every time one of these are sold as for far less, consumers can enjoy a great grain whisky at a far lower price. Avoid folks!
I had my doubts about this so tried a £3.00 minature bottle. Okay so it doesn't have a proper malt taste nor does it have a peaty aroma, however, this whisky is smoother than most expensive malts and has a delicious creamy finish. Have to agree though, you're paying an extra ten quid for the bottle. One last thing, those people who say it's the worst whisky they have ever tasted, you need to get out more and try the lower end whiskeys. I've had a rough bottle that tasted like poison with a rubber finish, now that was a whiskey I can honestly say was the worst ever!
I was pleasantly surprised. Very good single grain. Overpriced to be sure. But this is not hard to enjoy at all.
