Review #: 410
Description: Bell’s Blended Scotch
Spirit: Scotch
Background: Another Diageo blended whisky, the brand goes back to 1851 when Arthur Bell was blending whiskies. Allegedly, up to 40 different whiskies are used in the blend, mainly shaped by Blair Athol, Dufftown, Glenkinchie, and Caol Ila. Is it better than Johnnie Walker Red?
Distillery – Various
Bottler – Bell’s
Brand – Bell’s
Selection – N/A
ABV – 40%
Age – NAS
Nose – Honey Nut Cheerios, black tea, lemon curd, sweet cream, there is a bit of smoldering campfire in the background that nicely surrounds all the notes. A subtle juicy fruit note comes through too.
Taste – Black tea with honey, malty cereal with vanilla milk, cooked apple, almost like the char from bbq (but not super meaty or savory). It’s sweet without being too sugary and has a decent mouthfeel to it.
Finish – Get a bit rougher but not terrible, some graininess comes in, peppery, malty, a light acidic smoke
Score: 5
Would I buy a bottle? Honestly wouldn’t be mad about it being around the house as a cocktail option
Thoughts: Rather impressed by this. A little sweet but has some depth to it and nothing really off putting about it. Really is a solid blend, super cheap and worth it to keep around as a well Scotch and show that others can do better than Johnnie Walker.