Blended Scotch Whisky Review: Thompson Brothers Blended Scotch Whisky TB/BSW Over 6 Years Old / Batch 2
Finally, someone who knows how to make blended whisky!
Thompson Brothers Blended Scotch Whisky TB/BSW Over 6 Years Old / Batch 2 / 46%
Tasted neat
This new blended scotch whisky from Thompson Brothers (TB/BSW) is a combination of malt and grain scotch whisky aged for “over six years”, and my bottle is from their second batch. It is non-chill-filtered (NCF) and natural colour; they describe the goal of this blend as a traditional, sherry-focused whisky:
We have selected the components of the whisky to celebrate sherry maturation, and its character is inspired by the sherry-forward blends of the past. Once rested, the whisky is slowly diluted to 46% ABV — an excellent balance of easy-drinking quaffability and flavour-forward intensity. It is then bottled without chill-filtration and no colouring is added.
- Color: tawny (1.4)
- Nose: spiced wine, sherry, marmalade, cigar smoke, jerky, and sultanas
- Taste: more spice and tobacco; christmas cake, custard doughnuts, and tropical fruits
- Finish: long, semi-sweet, with plenty of sherry and earthy minerality
A lot of blends fail to be well-integrated, and come forward tone deaf, on one note, but I think this really nails a classic sherry blend. It’s rich, there’s oakiness, there’s sweetness but not excessively; it has nice hints of smoke and leather. Overall very relaxing, and for once I think the 46% is just right.
This is the new sherried blend to beat, especially at 30 pounds (!!).
If you like it, it is widely available, including at the Thompson Brother’s webshop where it is £31.25 ex UK VAT at time of writing. If you are in Japan, Suzusake has it for ¥5,940 (tax included).
Rating: 6/10
