The rare Black Grouse has been spotted in BC! Although Black Grouse is an endangered bird found in Scotland, we are actually talking about the much anticipated arrival of Black Grouse whisky, the newest release from The Famous Grouse Whisky Company. Black Grouse has been on the market in Europe and the UK for a couple of years, but has just made its way to Canada.
Jim Murray, whisky guru, has called the Black Grouse "The best new blended whisky", giving it a score of 94/100 in his 2008 edition Whisky Bible.
The Black Grouse is a blend of The Famous Grouse and peated Islay (pronounced Eye-luh) whisky. The nose has a bit of peaty/smoke and follows with some sweetness and a bit of malt- it kind of smells like high-end tequila. The palate is smoky sweet with hints of cocoa and spice with a long gentle smokiness and a bit of oak on the finish. This is a nice, fairly complex scotch for sipping, and provides great value as compared to higher-end single malts. Delicious!
To learn more about the Black Grouse (both the whisky and the rare bird), click here: http://www.black-grouse.com/
