Lagopus Lagopus Scoticus, Tetrao Tetrix and Lagopus Mutus...

We had our selfs a little tasting of this trio, below some quick tasting notes on them...

The Famous Grouse

Nose
A sweet nose filled with vanilla, blue berry's, raspberry, cereal, the Nasturtiums flower, violets, and honey. Floral and sweet.

Palate
Oily, caramel, walnuts, sweet, honey, cereal, orange, marmalade, citrus, banana. A bit dry, and bitter in the palate.

Finish
Medium long, sweet, and bit orange and honey. But also a bit wood dryness.

Score
6 out of 10. De bit bitter walnuts tone and the dry woodenness aftertaste sets me off a bit.
Their signature whisky is named after the Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus), Scotland´s national game bird. They marry malt whiskies, such as The Macallan and Highland Park, with grain whiskies for a long period in oak casks.


The Black Grouse

Nose
Fresh but also lightly peated, with a hint of maritime notes. Sweet and a bit spicy. Honey, heather, vanilla, chocolate and sugar cane. Almost a mix between tropical fruit and raisin in there.

Palate
Sweet, chocolate, creamy, pepper, soft peat and smoky tones, but mixed with toffee butterscotch and chocolate. Followed by honey and floral tones, dried fruits, apricots and a hint of citrus.

Finish
Cocoa mixed with honey and some heather I find on the long finish. It changes a bit in to a herbal tone, combined with sweet, but because of the cocoa a bit dry mouthfeel

Score
7 out of 10. Full of rich flavours... The Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix) is related to the Red Grouse. The Black Grouse Blended Scotch Whisky is born out of a marriage of The Famous Grouse with Islay malt whiskies.


The Snow Grouse

Nose
Nosing this one out of the freezer gives me vinegar, musty, tonic, lime, bitter, and coriander. When it warms up it has a little bit of more sweetness to it from some fruit tones and vanilla and raisin.

Palate
First tasting this one cold, straight out of the freezer before my hands warmed this dram up quickly. On the palate I find this one bitter, acidic, syrupy, metallic, vanilla, and ginger.
When it warms up it has some more vanilla, grain, graphite and wood shavings (crazy enough, ever smelled the tip of a pencil, like that?)

Finish
Short finish, even more when cold, and a bit warmer it is bitter and sour. It leaves me with a dry mouth like I drank a glass of lemon juice.

Score
4 out of 10. Maybe a good one for mixing? Don't get the whole serving it out of the freezer, don't think this makes it better... But just my opinion. The Snow Grouse (Lagopus Mutus) is a blended Grain Scotch Whisky, and they say that it is perfectly at home in severely cold conditions.