Buchanan’s Master
Blended Scotch Whisky | 40% ABV
Score: 4/10
Some promise.
TL;DR
Good - for what it is
A South American favourite that may not translate
One morning, I walked into my office and immediately noticed an odd smell.
The “nose” of my office that morning was of stale and standing water; damp cardboard. A bit of mouldy overtones and the scent of wet dog. I began noticing the steady beat of drops hitting pooled water.
I walked from the waiting area to my admin’s office area and the floor was soaked with a few lakes. Looking up, the ceiling tiles were either perforated or sagging from the weight of water that was coming from compromised piping above them.
This is how I met Javier, my dentist neighbour.
After seeing my waterlogged office, I immediately went upstairs and spoke with his secretary and explained the situation. Whether she doubted the seriousness of the situation or whether she didn’t have a clear understanding of the problem, she sent one of the hygienists down to look at my office. I accompanied her downstairs. She gasped and ran back upstairs.
Within a minute, she returned with Javier who was aghast and while he was calling various contractors, he was apologising profusely. Without doubt, in addition to being concerned about the problem caused by his water pipes, he was as concerned over the thought that I, as a lawyer, wouldn’t hesitate to sue him. I extended my hand and told him that while I wasn’t keen about an amphibious office, I understood this was not an intentional act of sabotage.
He stared at me and looked dumbfounded. I told him I knew he’d take steps to fix things and all would be fine. Long story short, all was sorted quickly and we struck up a friendship. Though, to this day, when I walk upstairs to see him, his staff still panic wondering if there’s another waterfall issue.
Javier and I both like golf and we’ve since played a few rounds together. We’re similar spirits as we don’t take ourselves too seriously. Javier is of Latin descent – specifically, he’s from Colombia. I bring this up as he asked me recently if I’d like to be a part of a 10-person golf outing.
He and his buddies arrange an annual golf event where everyone chips in some cash to buy bottles to be handed out for winners of certain feats of the day: longest drive, closest to the pin and overall team winners. I told him I’d be honoured to attend and although he was glad, he had one concern. He and his friends primarily speak Spanish. I would be the lone “gringo”. I chuckled. Not a problem, I told him.
And so I met Javier and his eight other friends at a very nice golf course. The majority of the guys were from South America with two from Central America. I strained to understand much of the banter as my Spanish is poor. Thankfully, Javier was a constant translator. At the practice green, the leader of the pack, Victor, announced they were glad to have me aboard and he told me my name for the day would be Manuel. Peals of laughter ensued.
We had a day of sun, golf, and laughter and after the golf was over, we gathered in the golf club restaurant. Toward the end of the dinner, Cesar, a wonderfully gregarious gentleman, who appeared to be in his early sixties, had been one of the leaders of jokes and he stood up. He’d won the closest to the pin prize and he selected a bottle from the winner’s bin.
It was a bottle of Buchanan’s Master blended whisky, something I had in my whisky cabinet. My bottle had been gifted to me a few years ago and I’d stashed it away. I must have ignored it due to it being 40% ABV and it’s known in my area as a bottom shelf blended whisky and I didn’t remember sampling it. Regardless, Cesar was in his element and he insisted on opening it and sharing it.
After translating Cesar’s intentions, Javier told me this is common in Venezuela and Colombia and according to Javier, the Venezuelans he knows like Cesar, all love scotch and Buchanan’s is a favourite.
At gatherings in their home countries, these bottles are plentiful, opened, and shared. And so, not one to disappoint someone wanting to share whisky, I gladly thrust my tumbler toward Cesar. He raised both arms in the air, shouted “Manuel!”, embraced me and then poured me a healthy share.
Salud, Manuel!
Review
Buchanan’s Master, Blended Scotch Whisky, 40% ABV
US$33 (£26) and wide availability in its supported markets.
I took the glass and toasted Cesar. I remember bringing the glass to my nose, expecting a bottom shelf experience. Happily, I was not greeted with acrid or off-putting scents. No one would mistake this for a bottle of Classic Laddie or an Arran, but it boded well for the experience to come.
Score: 4/10
Some promise.
TL;DR
Good - for what it is
Nose
Lemon meringue, almond butter and heather. Floral. Cocoa. There’s some Highland-type earthy smoke deep in the background. A bit of a pleasant funk.
Palate
Unfortunately, for a blended whisky, some edges remain. A bit thin, but not terribly so. Sweet. Citrus – lemon peel and orange pith. Dried apricots, ginger and vanilla. Some oak in play along with light cocoa. Very faint level of that Highland-type peat in the background. Flavours are there but they’re a bit disjointed. The finish goes quickly, and ebbs with a mix of dark chocolate and an ethanol bite. Overall, it stands on its own two feet, albeit not gracefully, and is not a bad entry-level offering.
Even though it’s 40% ABV, I tried it with some water, wondering if it would cut the bite at all and/or open up some other flavours.The edges are curtailed a bit, and some more malty and cereal flavours come forward. However, I also start to get that Old Pulteney 12yo sensation – a whisky that’s overly diluted. The other flavours are muted and watery. It does not take water well. Not surprising.
The Dregs
As with my review of Aberlour Casg Annamh, I was unsure if my initial nosing and tasting thoughts – which were positive – were intertwined with the memories of mood and experiences I was having with a great bunch of guys after a good day of golf. I remember nosing the glass and was surprised that it wasn’t something offensive, but instead, rather nice.
I didn’t take tasting notes while at the golf club. But, as mentioned, I had this bottle in my cabinet, so the details of nosing and tasting notes written above were done after the golf outing.
In doing my background research on Buchanan’s Master, I discovered that Buchanan’s has been around since 1884, and is now owned by Diageo and has been for some time. The Master is one of five Buchanan’s expressions along with a 12 year old, an 18 year old, the Red Seal, and Buchanan’s Pineapple. All are 40% ABV, with the exception being the Pineapple coming at 35%. All appear to be blends that are chill-filtered and coloured.
Buchanan’s Master was first released in 2010 and is said to have been created using at least one type of malt from each of Scotland’s whisky regions. Other than learning Dalwhinnie single malt is a main component, I couldn’t find information to learn what other distilleries are used. Of course, as a Diageo product, I would reliably think the rest of what makes Buchanan’s comes from their distilleries.
However, this begs a question. If this blend is made from every Scottish whisky region, and it is a Diageo product, from which Campbeltown distillery is distillate used, seeing as there are no Diageo distilleries in the Wee Toon presently?
Painting with a broad brush, I’d wager those who purchase Buchanan’s are not usually whisky enthusiasts looking for naturally presented single malts. I’d also wager the people at Buchanan’s don’t care. Buchanan’s don’t swim in those enthusiast waters and is happy not to. It knows what its whiskies are and knows its market share.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Yearbook 2022 notes that Buchanan’s sales increased by 29% from 2021 and the 2023 edition shows their sales increased by another 39% from 2022. Also, Diageo’s growth in Latin America and the Caribbean was up 43%.
This popularity is confirmed by Javier and demonstrated by Cesar, as Buchanan’s has evidently been successfully marketed in South America, Central America, and Mexico. If their entire line is 40% ABV along with one expression with the word “pineapple” in it, then chances are they’re catering to people who buy blended whisky for cocktails.
Confirming this, you simply need to log on to Buchanan’s website. It’s awash with cocktail recipes utilising their expressions – again, it’s clear Buchanan’s know their lane and are good at driving in it. I’m not a cocktail type of guy, so can’t speak to any special attributes that Buchanan’s gives to a mixed drink. I’m a single or blended malt guy who likes a dram neat. Sometimes I add water, but almost always neat. So, what are the lasting impressions for me with this bottle now that I have sampled it away from Cesar and the festivities?
Despite being 40% ABV, chill-filtered and coloured, it’s not a bad pour. I know this will be heresy to some, but I can’t say that Old Pulteney 12yo beats this Buchanan’s Master these days. Pulteney is no doubt a good whisky when distilled. However, with their 12yo, what they put in the bottle seems to me to be watered down to such a degree that each pour tastes like a whisky that has already had a large ice cube melt in it.
“Diluted” is the word I think of when I’ve tasted Old Pulteney 12. Buchanan’s Master doesn’t have that watered down flavour experience. It’s a bit thin but there’s a large difference between thin and tasting as if it’s been watered in the glass before you even sample it.
Buchanan’s Master is good for what it is – an entry level blended whisky that has flavour, though certainly edgy and a bit disjointed. It’s not complicated. It has no intention of the drinker being contemplative about this liquid, nor that the drinker would have their socks blown off.
The Dalwhinnie influence is there, and while the ethanol bite does creep in, for $33 there’s no significant price hurdle. I can imagine this is a go-to for those that enjoy a cocktail, or even for those first dipping toes into the world of whisky.
However, as an enthusiast, I’m not reaching for this. No doubt it will return to the back of my cabinet waiting for a gathering when someone wants to make a cocktail. When that time comes, I’ll remember I have this.
I’m a bit perplexed about the scoring. I scored Old Pulteney 12 a 4/10. The Buchanan’s Master is not actually better than the OP 12. Different, yes, but not better. In my view it’s the contrast between one pour that is edgy and disjointed versus the other pour that feels diluted.
Confirming my score of a 4/10 for the Buchanan’s, I re-examined the Dramface scoring guide. It notes that a 5/10 is a whisky that “has flashes of promise and at least one memorable note but sits comfortably in the middle of the pack. Represents many of today’s whisky releases.”
This is not in the middle of the whisky landscape. Nor does it align with many of today’s modern whisky releases. A 4/10 seems appropriate “some redeeming qualities but annoyingly haven’t come together as we’d hoped, just slipping down the pecking order. Work required.”
And yet, on the day at the golf club, the enjoyment was clearly above a 4/10. No doubt it was because I remember the joviality of Cesar sharing this over and over and the other guys’ banter and laughter as we shared the bottle. But, doing a cold analysis back home, it became clear the environment and circumstances had elevated the enjoyment while at the golf club. A high tide raises all boats, indeed – and elevates an otherwise mundane spirit being poured.
It’s time to put this bottle back in the cabinet, and I’ll remember to bring it to next year’s golf festivities – along with some better options too.
¡La próxima vez me toca a mí compartir, César!
Score: 4/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS
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