Grant's - Sherry Cask Finish

2 blue moons in so few months! I've found myself in the coveted position of being heavily in debt but happily in the black when it comes to whisky. If anyone was wondering why I flip between spelling it Whisky and Whiskey, it's because Whisky is the Scottish spelling and Whiskey is the Irish spelling, I try to remember to use the appropriate spelling for the appropriate tipple. I'm not sure how the Americans spell it, I like to think it's more along the lines of "MOONSHINE!"

Grant's is one of those bog-standard Scotch brands like Famous Grouse and Teacher's that serve the purpose of getting the drinker completely wrecked on a budget, each has different characteristics but each of those characteristics are dramatically unsubtle. For example, Teacher's is supposed to be the smoky peatey one but it's eye-watering stuff. Out of all the brands the only one I can tolerate enough to actually drink for any extended period of time is Famous Grouse and that's only because I liked the adverts as a child. In an attempt to class up the joint these brands have started bringing out fancier models to prove that they can appeal well beyond the bottom shelf vultures that are their bread and butter. Famous Grouse brought out the Black Grouse and the Naked Grouse, Grant's have gone a rather more straight forward route and released the Ale Cask Finish and the Sherry Cask Finish.

I'm not a fan of the regular Grant's but I must say that the Sherry Cask Finish takes away a certain brutality that put me off its predecessor. It's mellow with only a hint of the sherry sweetness and still has a certain acrid whisky aroma which means that they haven't messed with the whisky itself, it's not a liquer like Honey Jack or Southern Comfort, it's a bona fide whisky that's just been aged in a sherry cask to add a little character. It's not blowing any doors down but at £13 (on offer at Waitrose (Or it was at least,) with an RRP of £17 it is still cheaper than a lot of its competitors and it's hard to see an argument against buying it, especially at the current price, even when it goes back to full price it'll still be worth the money.

Food Suggestion: A Stilton that would make a dead man wake up and leave the room, a slice of red pear, some grapes, a bit of chutney and maybe a bit of ripe brie on the side if you're feeling slightly less adventurous. There is also a brand of chocolate that goes rather well, my friend got me a little tin of Tobasco brand spicy chocolate for Christmas, the combination is fun.

Drink this if you like: With it's subtle sweetness it's bordering on bourbon territory but it's still definitely Scotch. If you're a fan of regular Grant's then you'll appreciate this. I reckon you'd probably get a kick out of this if you're into Johnnie Walker too.