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The Leading Scotch Whisky Co. Ltd
Scotland
Smokey Joe
A blended malt made up of different Islay single malt whiskies. We're not sure which ones, exactly, but we do know that it tastes delicious!
An immensely fruity nose with note of melon and pear with peat smoke lurking behind. The palate retains the big fruity flavours of the nose with the smoke roaring in. This is an intensely satisfying Islay malt, well worth a try.
The only reason this got a half star is that there wasn't an option for negative numbers. A bottle of Clan MacGregor with Liquid Smoke added would be better than this. I guess since Laphroaig and Bowmore are my favorite whiskeys, it had a lot to live up to but this stuff is nasty. My wife poured hers out. I tried to tough it out and eventually tried adding ice and a Coke. Poured it out. We'll probably either pour this out (in a safe place) or use it as part of a marinade for the smoker.
The nose is sour smoke and butterscotch with a hint of peat, some would definitely interpret the nose as being fruity but I seem to get a less descript aroma, nothing specific. A lot of the "off" notes have died down and the sourness has mellowed and has become pleasant. There's a lot of butterscotch on the palate, saltiness, smoke...finally. The "heat" has disappeared for me but that could be due to me drinking some Cask strength Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve (Good Stuff!). My opinion of Smokey Joe has improved. Now I'd welcome a dram of it. It did take me the entire bottle to really get to know the Smokey Joe, and the flavors did change rather drastically as the bottle emptied. I'm sipping on the last dram as I write this review. Summary; Don't buy it if you're looking for Laphroaig, Ardbeg, or Lagavulin. If you go into it looking to buy an relatively inexpensive "smokey" Scotch for its own individuality then I think, if you give it a chance, you'll like it. But if you do the opposite you'll be very disappointed. The big three are classics for a reason (though I personally haven't been too enthusiastic about the Lagavulin 16 thus far) so don't expect Smokey Joe to replace or replicate their nose and flavors. The price point is part of my calculation for giving it three stars.
Okay...twelve measured drops of water (slightly over a half ml) to help open this malt up. Wait for a few minutes, take a sniff...The sourness has died down some but I find a lack of smoke in this dram, rather then lots of smoke as advertised. I keep nosing it but don't get much beyond the lingering sourness, though much less then before, and with a hint of sweetness, maybe a touch of oak trying to come through but failing. The arrival is buttery but quickly turns to the bitter side of things, a little lemon on the side, slightly fizzy with more oak finally showing itself on the palate. The whisky is slightly hot (46% ABV) and the finish isn't very pleasant but it isn't the worst either. I get bitterness, cigarette butt ash ending in flatness. The first quarter of the bottle is gone. More air in the bottle seems to have helped this whisky a bit. I believe it will get better as the bottle goes down and more space is left in the bottle. Overall, it isn't terrible whisky but it isn't good whisky either. People who love Laphroaig will not love this. At some point you feel like you can taste a hint of Laphroaig 10 but then the sensation is lost and you feel cheated. I like Scotch so I wouldn't turn this down if someone gave it to me but I highly doubt I'd buy another bottle. For people who are chasing the big Islay Single Malts (Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig) and trying to get some satisfaction from a less expensive dram...well...thus far I don't think it can be done. I still have a little smidgen of hope left that maybe somewhere out there, an inexpensive whisky that is smokey and peaty and reasonably priced actually exists. It's bad enough we're over-paying for the genuine article. Most of the once good whiskies have been given the hug of death by the likes of Jim Murray and have led to prices skyrocketing. Who wants to spend $80.00 + tax for a bottle of Lagavulin 16?
Is there a way we can rate the people giving the reviews? I know that taste can be rather subjective but a good dram is a good dram. I'm sick of being misled by bad "good" reviews. Thus far Smokey Joe is not a hit for me. It has a sourness to the nose and the palate, is way too sweet and the smoke has no real depth or flavor. If it wasn't bottled at 46% I'd feel even worse. Maybe I'll come back in a couple of days and see if anything has changed about this vatted malt. I'm not very optimistic at the moment. This is the third bottle of Scotch I have purchased that seems to be tainted with a weird sourness that shouldn't be there.
Surprised the heck out of me. A definite thumbs up -- for the price, a NO-Brainer.
Was: £36.50Now: £34.77