Grand Old Parr 12 - Review
Age: 12 years
Barrel type: mixed, likely sherry butts form a healthy portion
Region: mixed, mostly Speyside
ABV: 40%
Price: $35-40
Additional details: most likely chill filtered, color added
The funny thing is that I hadn't heard of Grand Old Parr 12 until a friend of ours kindly gifted us a bottle a few months back, but now I'm of the opinion that it's one of the best affordable blends on the market. It's named after a legendary 16th century Englishman who purportedly reached 150 years old. The two major components of this scotch honoring an apocryphal ancient are Cragganmore and Glendullan, both Speyside distilleries, which makes sense upon tasting it.
Appearance: This is one of the coolest and most unique bottles out there -- in fact, it looks more like a tequila bottle than a scotch one. It calls to mind a turtle shell, a coconut or cantaloupe, or even a grenade. I have no idea who came up with it, but I appreciate that it's easy to recognize even on a distant bar shelf. The scotch itself is auburn in color, and looks quite tempting in the glass.
Nose: To its credit, there is no noticeable grain alcohol note on the nose, which is not always easy for a blend to pull off given that grain scotches tend to have that young spirit smell for longer than malt scotches. The nose has an almost inky quality, and screams Speyside: apple, sherry or Cabernet Sauvignon dark fruits, malt, hazelnut or chestnut, some balsamic vinegar, and spice.
Palate: This scotch is quite sweet, and the sherry emerges as candied fruit and raisins, almost chewy in texture despite only being 40%. The cereal sweetness adds a slight variation to that theme. That nuttiness remains noticeable, although it's a little more almond-like on the palate, and there's some spice in the mix as well. It's a classic sherried scotch profile, and smooth as butter.
Finish: I get a medium-length finish with a touch of bitterness, a hint of smoke (although not a peaty smoke), and a lingering tart sweetness. It's not too unique, but it's good work on the part of the blenders. Honestly, if I didn't know it was a blend, I'd just assume it was one of the standard sherry-aging Speyside distilleries.
Value for Money and Final Impressions: Like most blends, this one is more affordable than single malts, at around $35-40. Grand Old Parr is to sherried scotches what Black Label is to peated scotches -- a nice, flavorful introduction to the core flavors of a type. I'd recommend it to anyone wondering what sherry finishing tastes like. It doesn't have the same surprising, possible rough touches that come with a single malt, but for all I know, this blend could be superior to either Cragganmore or Glendullan standing alone (there's a reason those two aren't as widely distributed or well-known as single malts, although Diageo has been putting them out there recently). Also, the name GOP seems tailor-made to be a gift for the conservatives in your life.
Rating: B