Cutty Sark whisky is named after the Cutty Sark ship which was built a mere 10 miles from the Cutty offices. The ship was built in 1869 and was among the last clippers built for the transport of goods. The rise of steam powered boats brought an end to age of the wind powered sailing ships and ushered out an era of beautiful sea faring vessels and ushered in the dominance of ugly but highly functional sea faring machines.
Cutty Sark the scotch whisky was created in 1923 and by Berry Brothers & Rudd, but is now owned by the Edrington group which means it should be no surprise that it supposedly contains both Highland Park and Macallan single malts. Their official documentation states that it’s “mostly Speyside” whisky and looking around the web the speculations about what else is in there support that claim with Glenrothes and Tamdhu being the most commonly mentioned. I’ve also seen Bunnahabhain and Glengoyne mentioned, but without the distillery saying so it’s all speculation.
Cutty Sark Info
Region: Scotland
Bottler: Edrington Distillers Limited
Age: NAS
ABV: 40%
Supposedly Natural Color (definitely looks like it)
Price: $21*
Cutty Sark Review
EYE
Honey
NOSE
A light nose of Orchard fruit, honey candy, wheat thins, malt, frosting sweetness and a light bit of spice and citrus peel. Really not a bad nose. A little light, but definitely not bad.
PALATE
Fruit, honey, vanilla, malt, light citrus, buttercream frosting and a touch of char. It really does remind me of a basic Speyside.
FINISH
Short and malty with notes of fruit, honey and frosting.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good balance, medium body and a smooth easy texture.
OVERALL
Cutty Sark is a blend, but it’s definitely on the upper end of blends and, for the most part, I’ve always considered it quite palatable. Not a world changer by any means, but Its overall character reminds me of a basic no-frills Speysider and it has a nice balance and sweetness to it. Yes it’s light, but it’s also cheap and for about 1/3 the price of an average single malt this will do just fine as a mixer and a cheap, but tasty, whisky to stretch the life of my more expensive drams.
SCORE: 82/100
*Disclosure: This Cutty Sark was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
