Blended Malt vs Blended Scotch | 48% & 41.1% ABV

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*An Enigma wrapped in some Lum Reek, wrapped in a couple of comfortable armchair drams*

Some maturity to lift the mood

It’s been such a dreadful start to the year, certainly weather and news-wise, that on this rainy, stormy day with not much better to do, a dram to lift my spirits is desirable, nay, requisite.

Perhaps this is why Whisky calls Ireland and Scotland its spiritual home. The weather drifts across the Atlantic and soon gathers force as the cold air fronts from north of the New England and Canadian coasts hits the warm air rising from the Saharan and northern plains of Africa… I’m making this up; I’m no meteorologist. But I think I’m partly right.

Regardless, I’ve lived on the isles of Ireland and Scotland long enough to have seen a pattern whereby we appear to take the brunt of the hardest hitting storms giving much of Scandinavia a dryer, calmer time of it. Again, not scientific, just observational.

It is biblically wet at the moment. Rivers are fit to burst, fish are taking short-cuts over roads, birds are hunkered down, dogs are reluctant to walk and humans wonder if the sun will ever reappear. I’ve just seen a black umbrella go racing past and half-expect to see a Mary Poppins look-alike come sliding down the roof (I don’t have a chimney). It is also unseasonably cold and these two phenomena combine to make me reach, more often than normal, for the responsible solace found in an occasional dram (or two in this instance).

But, talking of making things up (or at least bending the truth slightly), one of my drams for review today is not something I’m familiar with; MacNair’s is not one of those whisky brand names that immediately springs to mind like say, Dewar’s, Ballantine’s or Bell’s. In fact, had it not resurfaced recently I wouldn’t have ever known of the brand’s existence.

Some quick and un-scholarly research finds little mention of the company pre-1907. Although it is alleged the original Harvey MacNair goes back to the 1860s – there is no supporting evidence on the website of the current proprietor, The Glenallachie Distillers Co. Limited and I couldn’t find anything (albeit from a not hugely in-depth search).

An ad, from 1911, makes for fascinating reading. MacNair’s were selling their whisky direct to the public and were so confident of the quality that they stated:

“Try it – That is all we ask. The expense is all ours if it fails to please you. We take the risk – Connoisseurs of whisky are especially invited to fill up the order form and post to-day.”

Interesting to note that by this point they owned Benromach Distillery, having purchased it in March 1911 from the liquidation of J Eustace Jamieson Ltd. Also interesting to note that Harvey MacNair & Co are listed as ‘a London firm of distillers, blenders and exporters’.

It would appear that this campaign was not a success as further ads disappeared just a year later and Benromach Distillery changed ownership in 1919 (although likely earlier). I certainly haven’t seen anyone brave enough to offer a full refund should they not like a whisky in recent times. Perhaps that lesson was learned over a hundred years ago.

Anecdotally, this does remind me of being in a shop when a previous customer returned with a near half-empty bottle of Highland Park 12 complaining to the owner that it ‘did not taste like a Highland Park’ to them. The owner suggested that had they not taken half of the bottle to decide perhaps Highland Park would have replaced it.

Back to the bit about MacNair’s name and history – I’m guessing for some it adds to the whole drinking experience; the ‘Lum Reek’ (smell of chimney smoke); the, frankly tenuous, link to a bothy near Glenallachie and the idea that the current custodian could in any way recreate the whisky of the 1860s etc. As you will have gathered from my posts on Dramface I don’t really fall into this camp of ‘pretence, no matter how mild or whimsical, adds to my enjoyment’.

Frankly, the greatness, success and charm of the man whose name adorns the bottle is sufficient for me to know that care and attention went into this product. Don’t get me wrong though, the fairy-tale stuff of ‘wasn’t it great when the world didn’t have electricity or modern medicine and most people died in their 40s’ etc doesn’t ever detract from my drinking experience. What would marketing people do if we took all of that away?

I have no story to debunk or history to check when it comes to the Cadenhead’s blend. The label looks like a C grade 13 year old’s project – and not one being ushered into a career in design. Looking at it I’m almost pining for a bit of history or nod to bygone times – something to take away from the dreadful colours, off-centre text and weird Finnish flag-like layout. Even the name ‘Enigma’ is something that you would expect at pre-College level education.

In both instances, naturally, I am here for the contents, not the story, nor the packaging. And in both instances we are reassured as both labels state: non chill-filtered and natural colour.

Enough to pique my interest…

Review 1/2

MacNair’s Lum Reek 21yo, Blended Malt, Peated Small Batch, 48% ABV
£125 and wide availability

It’s worth noting there are more recent batches of this with an updated label design.

Score: 5/10

**Average. In a good way.**
***TL;DR***
*Solid whisky - will not disappoint but not sure you would buy a second*

Nose

I glanced at the tasting note on the reverse and therefore my nose is now definitely getting the ‘tobacco’ that was promised. It is certainly ‘Gentleman’s Smoking Room’ – and I do not mean to be misogynistic with this reference only that for some reason I, at least, associate well-worn leather, redolent pipe-smoke, musk and a general ‘used’ note to mean somewhere men have smoked, a lot. We don’t really have decent smoking rooms any more – smokers are relegated, and quite rightly in my book being a non-smoker – to a dingy, covered outdoor area devoid of features and hope. I’m certainly getting more Highland smoke than Islay ‘sea-notes’ but there are some little hints of salty-air with dried seaweed. Under that is some stewed fruits – the Sherry is not dominant. Some cloves, gentle spices – a small helping of Christmas cake.

Palate

Sweet at first and then a little smoke comes through. Again it is not iodine-rich; it’s not dragging me to the coast and pulling me under a big crashing, salty wave so I’m guessing there is not a huge amount of that type of Islay whisky in the recipe.

Thankfully, unlike a real ‘Lum Reek’ I’m not finding this overly ‘sooty’ either – as I think it would dominate a quite pleasant dram. Just towards the end of the palate the peat kicks in a bit more and I’d lean towards Caol Ila being a part of the make-up with those dark-toasted malt flavours so commonly found. The finish I like a lot but does not remind me this is aged at least 21 years. I can get a similar finish in a 10 year old Caol Ila or Ballechin.

Score: 5/10

Review 2/2

Cadenhead’s Enigma 25yo, Blended Scotch, Distilled 1998 Released September 2023, Refill butts, 5,850 bottles, 41.4% ABV
£75 but mostly sold out

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*a really lovely, quirky dram priced for drinking [Damn it I nearly said an ‘enigma’]*

Nose

Immediate hints of Heather – always a favourite note for me in older blends. This has that ‘herbal’ quality (that hit you get when chopping a group of herbs for salad etc) that can often be associated with ‘old bottle effect’ – also evidence of the oak, but not in an overly ‘vanilla’ dominant way. Indeed it’s more like someone is burning a herbal, oak incense stick nearby mixed with a very mild, musky eau de cologne. A similar theme to the MacNair is that old leather armchair, pipe-smoke but this time it is much sweeter – the sweet pipe-smoke is much more ‘still in the air’ rather than ingrained into everything. Under all of that is a bready-earthy note that adds real depth to the blend.

Palate

The palate continues that pipe-smoke, heather, leather theme. The smokiness is quite different to the MacNair – drier, slightly thinner but there is a definite feeling of ‘age’ with this blend – it is older after all. Slightly more malty than the nose suggests. The woodiness is also much more prominent and it reminds me more of being in a woodwork shop or joinery with dust, freshly sawn wood and that smell of resin, stain and varnish all mixed in.

Score: 7/10

The Dregs

I’ve combined the dregs section for both whiskies.

The two blends are quite different but also have some similarities. Neither require much cerebral interaction (despite my notes) – these are big dram whiskies; the kind of bottle you would bring out for a game of poker or a fireside chat and pour quite a large measure. They would both sit well in a large tumbler, maybe with a cigar if you smoke them.

I wouldn’t class either as a truly special occasion whisky and certainly in the case of MacNair you can find much bigger, bolder and more rewarding drams for a similar amount of money. The Cadenhead bottling scores higher because the nose is such a delight, even if the finish ever so slightly underwhelms, and you really feel you are drinking some whiskies of great age.

The MacNair is a touch heavy on price and I’m fairly confident in a blind taste test not many would get anywhere near 21 years of age. The fact that you can buy the Enigma and have change for a bottle of something very decent leftover is also very hard to ignore (even if the packaging is, frankly, an abomination).

But of course, I can’t leave you hanging dear reader… you’re all thinking the same thing, right? What if… I blended them together?

Well, your wish is my command and I can confirm that blended together they work very well – the MacNair adding an extra layer of sweetness but slightly reducing that old bottle effect of the Cadenhead’s.

Not sure it would make a blend that scores any better though.

Tried these? Share your thoughts in the comments below. FF

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