馳名黑雞 Famous Black Grouse

 

Please scroll down to the bottom for English version of tasting note. Thank you.

各位不要誤會，我不是要說那些違反逗留條件進行賣 X 活動的女蝗，說的其實是威士忌品牌 Famous Grouse 的酒款 Black Grouse。Black Grouse 是 Famous Grouse 的泥煤加強版。

一早說過，達人平民化，以往被視為達人門檻的泥煤風味已經進入消費市場, 化身大眾口味的調合威士忌，Johnnie Walker 的 Double Black 就是一例，有興趣的讀者可參閱"時尚泥煤煙燻味，吹入尋常百姓家“一文。這其實是好事，即是大眾市場普遍可以接受一些較特別的風味，並不只是永遠的香甜順滑，長遠來說有望提升整體的品味水平。

Black Grouse 其實早於 2007 年已經上市，我喝的這個樣本，也是年多前的事了，因稿擠排到現時才重見天日，所以這酒評是基於 2012 年或之前的批次，雖則理論上調合威士忌每一批次分別不大。

順帶一提，Famous Grouse，當然包括這黑雞 Black Grouse，現在是屬於 Edrington 集團的。Edrington 很巴閉的麼？那你喝過 Macallan 和 Highland Park 沒有？傳說 Famous Grouse 是有採用 Macallan 和 Highland Park 作為原酒的。

又再一提，酒廠在 Black Grouse 的銷售盈利中，會捐出部份利潤給 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) 皇家鳥類保護協會用於保育黑松雞 black grouse 之用。管他是發財立品還是宣傳技倆，客觀事實的確是對保育鳥類有貢獻的。

Black Grouse 無論是免稅及零售市場，也有 700 ml 和一公升瓶裝的。來，嚐一嚐這黑雞吧。

Black Grouse, 700 ml, 40%

氣味: 花蜜，乾棗，穀物，淡然煙燻及海風，香草
口味: 蜜餞，穀物，多士，隱隱塑膠，微鹹，花椒辛辣
餘蘊: 中等長度，烘焦多士，仍然有輕微塑膠及花椒辛辣
結論: 氣味尚算不錯，清新的穀物和花蜜實在怡人。酒身稍薄，有穀物新酒的味道，不知那塑膠或焦油也似的味道是否就算是泥煤的風味，末段有近似花椒的辛辣感。餘蘊的多士烘過頭了，有些苦，那塑膠或焦油仍然持續，辛辣仍在。這黑雞並沒有預期的那種泥煤煙燻風味，很明顯是年青大比重穀物的消費市場酒款，不難喝，氣味尚算不錯，但亦僅此而已，不過不失之作。

 

English Version of Tasting Note

Peaty whisky used to a connoisseurs’ favour but it now becomes a popular trend and it means that the general consumers are willing to try something new and strange. It can be seen a positive move to overall standard of whisky tasting in long run.

Black Grouse is the peated version of Famous Grouse. Black Grouse was firstly launched in 2007. This tasting note is based on the sample tasting in late 2012 though theoretically the difference amongst batches should be insignificant.

For information, Famous Grouse series are under the umbrella of Edrington. What? You don’t know about Edrington? Have you ever tasted Macallan or Highland Park? It is rumored that Macallan and Highland Park are part of the components of Famous Grouse.

There is another piece of information about the Black Grouse. The company draws a portion of profit from the sales of Black Grouse and contributes to The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) for funding of reservation of the black grouses, yes, the real living black grouses in wild. Whether they do this in good faith or just some sort of marketing idea, this act ideed is of benefit to the birds’ conservation.

Here is the tasting note.

Black Grouse, 700 ml, 40%

Nose: Nectar, dried date, cereal, lightly smoke and sea breeze, vanilla.
Palate: Preserved fruit, cereal, toast, hint of plastic, slightly salty, spicy Chinese prickly ash.
Aftertaste: Medium length, overdone toast, plastic and Chinese prickly ash.
Overall comment: Nice note, especially the refreshing cereal and nectar. Rather light body, feeling of cereal new make, doubtful the plastic or tar alike favor amounts to so-called peat, spicy hot at the end. Baking taste in aftertaste but trend to bitterness, plastic and tar persist. This Black Grouse is not thatexpected peaty whisky. Obviously this young grain based whisky is targeted at general consumer market, no offense. Nice nose and fairly drinkable but nothing more. Barely passed.