Conclusion - A simple yet decent blend... or is it? After the initial glass, I poured a second, this time with a splash of water (as always). We get something very different with this approach. When US Prohibition came into force in January 1920, the Scotch world was dismayed. Economic depression, coupled with high taxation, had forced a high reliance on export markets. However, as was the case with a handful of other blenders, the company’s distribution to markets close to the United States such as Canada, Latin America and the West Indies suddenly shot up. If some shipments made their way into the States, then so be it.

Matthew Irving Gloag retires from the company due to ill health. The last Gloag to be involved in the company, he remains a consultant for life Taste: Incredibly smooth and light, once again not forcing the issue with the peat and the smoke. The brown sugar on the nose has become dark chocolate on the tongue, and it mingles beautifully with the spice. Makes me think of a bar of dark chocolate with chilli that someone once gave me. I wasn't a fan of it at the time, but on tasting this I may have to try that chocolate again. Intriguing stuff. 2.0 Matthew Gloag wins the contract to supply food and wine for the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to Perth Palate: Very smooth arrival. Peat, smoke, caramel, vanilla, and tobacco. The flavours are strong enough, but they don’t overwhelm the gentle quality of the whisky.

Recently viewed

Lest anyone be put-off by that color comparison, however, my cat’s a good guy, if sometimes noisy, and the whiskey is a good whiskey, if a bit nosey. For lovers of peaty scotch, like me, that’s not at all a bad thing; in fact, it’s what recommends this particular blended Scotch to those who might otherwise scoff at blends. John Brown established his Perth grocery business in 1800 before moving the premises to Atholl Street seven years later. It was his daughter, Margaret, who married Matthew Gloag. She took over the family business from her father in 1824 and ran it until Matthew took control a little over a decade later. Firstly this has the standard Famous Grouse blend in it but with some other peat based malt added in. This creates in my opinion a more punchy Whisky. Finish: the sweet-peat palate gives way immediately to a mellow cinnamon spice, itself fading into drying peat.

By the time Matthew Gloag died in 1860, the family business portfolio focused mostly on wines and his son, William Gloag, largely continued this trend.INGREDIENTS: Blending Scotch Whiskies matured for at least 12 years to ensure the perfect flavour intensity. But the Grouse brand only started taking shape when William’s nephew, also named Matthew, took over the company. He created The Grouse Brand blend in 1896. NOSE: I was expecting something hard to hit me on the nose but what i was greeted with was a mild smokey almost burnt sugar smell, it was pleasant and added to the existing smell of toffee. When i searched harder i could smell a faint tobacco scent, effective yet not in your face! THE PERFECT GIFT: This award-winning (Gold at the International Wine and Spirits Competition 2022) Scotch Whisky is an impressive gift for someone who appreciates smooth and smoky whiskies. The perfect gift to taste. B and B-: Good and above average. The best of the mass market whiskeys fit in this category, as do the bulk of the premium brands. A B- is three stars.

While many sources claim the Famous Grouse story began in 1800, the story of Matthew Gloag & Sons didn’t start with the Gloags at all. Rather, it began with the Browns. William Gloag dies; his nephew, Matthew Gloag III, takes over the business. The Gloags register their first blended Scotch: the Brig o’ Perth Palate: creamy and smooth. It goes from sweet to peat - honey intermingled with delicate peat and a soft smokey texture. Finish: A very gradual fade down of the cocoa, and a fade up of the spice and oak. So subtle and unexpectedly elegant. 2.0

PALATE : Medium body with drying oak, peat and dried fruit. Pepper and cloves with smoke and grainy sweetness. Quite a bit of alcohol heat that needs a few drops of water to soften. It has the green Highland type of peat notes and not the fishy Islay kind of peat. Water tones down the heat but also washes out the peat. It becomes fairly sweet with water. Originally, The Famous Grouse was priced lower than the Grouse Brand. In a little over 10 years, the reverse would be true thanks to the popularity of The Famous Grouse. As if to emphasise the family connection, it was Matthew III’s daughter, Phillippa, who drew the very first, and now famous, red grouse that we see on the bottle.