Spirit Type: Blended Whisky

Country: Scotland

ABV: 40.0%

Bottle size: 70cl

Description: 

Eight single malt scotch whiskies, all from the Speyside region of Scotland, are combined to make Copper Dog. It is made in collaboration with the name-bearing tavern, which is housed in the venerable Craigellachie Hotel in Speyside.

Both the whiskey's name and the name of the bar are references to a crude contraption that was once employed by distillery employees to sample and transport liquor from aging casks sneakily.

The whisky is bottled at the required minimum ABV of 40% and bears no age statement. The only information we know about the source whiskies is that they are married in ex-bourbon hogsheads and come from a range of cask types. The inclusion of Knockando, Roseisle, and Inchgower was confirmed in an interview.

On the nose, it has a pronounced lemon peel aroma, a tangy but sweet malt flavor, and not much more.

The flavor is thin and largely watery. Toast, lemonade, and roasted peanuts. Absolutely no tongue burning. This is nice; if only it weren't so boring and watered down.

The conclusion is brief. Quite bitter and loaded with charcoal. Nutty, sweet malt, which reminds one of candy with peanut butter flavor, helps to balance this. It fades abruptly and fast without changing.

Really? Water? For the sake of consistency, I'll give it a shot. A few insignificant drops of water muddle the aroma's previously distinct lemon note and inevitably make the palate even blander.

On the tongue and finish, there may be a second note of chocolate cake (or marshmallow? ), but it isn't worth the additional dilution.

A harsh finish and an overzealous application of the bottle-proofing water utterly overpowered the few pleasant flavors that were present. I double-checked to make sure the alcohol content wasn't below 40%. The mixing is excellent for a blended malt under $40, but Monkey Shoulder (which has its critics, I won't deny), in my opinion, offers much more taste for the money.