Sweet Wee Scallywag

THIS week, Douglas Laing released their latest small batch whisky and I grabbed a bottle as soon as it scampered into The Good Spirits Co. in Glasgow.
    I had seen the bottle design on Twitter and as Douglas Laing has a fine reputation - a Big Peat review is coming soon - I had no hesitation in bringing this young scamp home with me on Thursday afternoon.
    The Scallywag is named after the Laing family's long line of Fox Terriers and the label design was inspired by Binks, their wee rascal who sadly died recently. But even though Binks is gone, this excellent whisky is a fitting tribute and a fine drop.
    The Scallywag is a blended malt - also known as a vatted malt - made from a collection of Speyside whiskies including malts from the Mortlach, Macallan, Glenrothes, Inchgower and Dailuaine distilleries. It is bottled at 46% and is non-chill filtered.
    On the nose there's vanilla custard, macadamia nuts, orange oil, milk chocolate, icing sugar, rich fruit cake and a dusting of ground cinnamon. I even get a lovely whiff of sugary, hard boiled pineapple cubes.
    On the palate, there's sherry-soaked raisins, orange, cocoa powder, cinnamon and nutmeg, while the delicious finish has a slight woodiness, with vanilla, honey and icing sugar.
    The Scallywag is an excellent whisky and with its smooth and warming flavours, is ideal for the festive season. It's also available at a thoroughly decent price and is definitely worth a closer look if you are after a rich, full-bodied whisky.

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