Grant's The Family Reserve

 

 

 

40°

Around 25 different Distilleries, but mostly Girvan and Glenfiddich - Lowlands & Speyside

Bourbon and Sherry Casks

Original Bottling 

By William Grant & Sons

Core Range 

Blended Scotch Whisky

Launched in 1898

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

In 1898, William Grant, founder of the Glenfiddich distillery, took advantage of the bankruptcy of a competitor to launch his own Blend. As he was very proud of his offspring, 7 boys and 2 girls, he chose to call it The Family Reserve. The source of this Blend was Glenfiddich of course, but for the grain whisky, which made up the majority of the juice, Grant bought it from Distillers Company Limited, one of the forerunners of Diageo, which owned the Cameronbridge grain distillery. But in 1962, Distillers Company Limited stopped supplying the company, following a dispute. However, within 9 months it had the Girvan grain distillery built, which is now the source of most of the Blend. The Family Reserve was the 3rd best-selling Blend in the world, but its prestigious name was dropped in 2018, after 120 years of existence. The descendants of William Grant, who still own the group, decided to change the Blend recipe slightly, and renamed it Triple Wood. The end of a centuries-old tradition.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is well-crafted, but sorely lacking in fullness. Grainy cereals, warm wood, melting caramel. Some forest berries, bark, spices, liquorice, a zest of lemon, a dash of vanilla. Dried fruits, figs, dates, apricots. The palate is a little insignificant, but not bad, pepper and alcohol. A touch of treacle. The spices rise. Green apple. The finish is short but quite pleasant, cola, liquorice and tinder, Armenian paper. Peanuts. The aftertaste is pastry-like, almost creamy.

 

In Short, 

For a Blend, it's not bad, in fact it's almost drinkable. What bothers me is that the nose is really very light. But it really is one of the best supermarket blends I've ever had. The Monkey Shoulder, which belongs to the same group, is better, because it has Balvenie in it. Even though production was discontinued 6 years ago, it's still quite easy to find here and there, as stocks are so high. It's good value for money, but if it's only to drink this, you might as well give up alcohol.

Score : 77

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Helmut Fritz - Ca m'énerve

Monkey Shoulder Batch 27

40°

Distillery : The Balvenie, Kininvie, Glenfiddich - Speyside

Independent Bottling

By William Grant & Sons

Core Range 

Blended Malt

Launched in 2005

Totally Unpeated

This Blended has been making its way into supermarkets over the last few years with some success.

Let's Taste It : 

A very Speyside profile, light and fruity with shy malty hints. Apricots, tulips and white fruits. Juicy pears. Some sweet candies, tagada strawberries. After a while, there are notes of exotic fruits, banana and mango. On the palate, it goes down smoothly. It's not aggressive but it lacks character. A cereal touch, malted barley and cola seeds, creamy vanilla, a few evanescent spices. Gentle finish, hops and lemon. Dried apricots. Milk chocolate avec hazelnuts. 

In Short, 

It's not bad at all, but it's still very light. In my opinion, it's sorely lacking in character. However, the value for money may prove convincing for some.

Score : 78

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                           Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive