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.
Had a 25ml shot when recived it for xmas and didnt seem too bad, the next day i had a .......well massive glass and as i lifted the glass to my face, it just smelt of paintstripper and it felt like id drank paintstripper the next morning, and it tastes like a watered down whiskey with a splash of poundlands own vodka
Cameronbrig can clearly do a decent single grain, their standard bottling for about 20 quid is easy drinking,mellow and well worth a try. This isn't.
This has has as much depth and character as water. It's so flat and uninteresting, with absolutely nothing to recommend it. I should have known when the lady who sold it to me said "I really hate whiskey, but I enjoyed this". There are much better malts for the beginner - any Balvenie or Dalwhinnie would be a much better choice. And as for the bottle, it looks great, but the stopper is hard to remove and replace, and it's really tricky to pour without dribbling because of the shape of the neck, and the weight and thickness of the glass.
All kick and no golden balls. Avoid, unless your partial to nasty next day chemical flavours!
Very poor whisky, I expected better.
