Whisky on the cheap! (Part 2)

Continuing on with the variety of low-budget single malts available in North Carolina ABC stores, today we'll be looking at two offerings: Lismore Single Malt and Speyburn 10. Both are available for under $40 here, and both have some admirable qualities for those on a tight budget.

Lismore Single Malt is probably the most enigmatic of the local offerings, giving little information on the bottle as to age, distiller or anything else for that matter. The packaging simply reads Lismore Single Malt, Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, and Product of Scotland. Well, Speyside is a big place with tons of distilleries, and with little else to go on it's always been a tough decision whether to take a chance on this very plain and uninteresting bottle. Recently I've noticed it showing up on shelves with a slightly nicer cardboard box/tube around it, but it offers little more in the realm of information on this whisky. An online search turns up very little either, save for a few good and a few bad reviews. I took a chance and while I can't say I'm blown away by the quality for the price, it isn't all bad either. The whisky is clearly young, with a very transparent okra coloring and the flavor suffers due to a lack of time in wood. The nose is a tad harsh, with an slightly overpowering aroma of peat and caramel. The floral scents common in Speyside malts is very subdued here. The palate is pretty good, sweet at times with a good nutty balance with the floral and caramel that embody Speyside products. The finish is nice and long, though it does diminish if you add water to open the palate. All in all this is not a bad everyday drinker, especially at about $20 a bottle. A little more time in a cask would do it a lot of good. The only sad part is we'll probably never know what distiller produced it.

Next we'll look at Speyburn 10. This bottle is from the Speyburn Distillery in the Highland region of Scotland. It has been a staple of their production line for many years, even winning a gold medal in 2006 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. That it is listed here in my Whisky on the Cheap! series is somewhat an anomaly, because it doesn't fit with the other offerings in any way other than price point. It can be had for right at $40 a bottle in these parts, and it is worth every penny. The nose has huge amounts of citrus and is very zesty. Oranges and herbal notes, wood and pine oil, spearmint and mild spices rount out the nose with a hint of barley and grains. The palate is quite smooth and has a nice balance to it. There are notes of cereal and grain, nuttiness and a touch of smoke. The finish is nice and long with lots of barley and a good deal of smoke. I love this bottle for social gatherings and everyday drams, and at the price point it absolutley is the best single malt available in North Carolina below $50.