Initial Thoughts
Not a ton of information is currently available about this HM The King Scotch Whisky, other than it is produced in the Highlands of Scotland. It’s a blended whisky, a not single malt. I believe this is the first blended Scotch whisky that I’ve reviewed on the site thus far, so I’m intrigued to try it out.
The only real back story that I got about this product is “The HM on the bottle stands for “His Majesty” the King, as the final blend was signed off on by the late King of Tonga.” So there you have it!
Looks
Speaking of the bottle, it’s a short squatty bottle. That reminds me of a rotund kind sitting in his throne… See how I tied that together there. The label on the front has a nice dark grey background with some paisley looking symbols floating around that give it a regal look. In the middle of the label is a large HM which we discussed above. The stopper is a dark rich faux wood looking top that closes off the wide mouth. A very nice looking bottle, something that is easy to grab a hold of to pour a dram. So I think that’s what I’ll do next. It seems fitting. So let’s dive into this HM The King Scotch Whisky and see it has inside.
Reviewed Neat
Nose
Initially when I opened up this bottle of HM The King Scotch Whisky I was hit with a very strong plastic and rubbery note. It was very off-putting to say the least. I poured a dram and didn’t really give it the chance to air out and open up. I really wanted to taste it and see what was going on. Turns out, the initial impression was a very poor one.
I went back to the bottle a couple of days later and opened it up again. Hoping that the rubber smell was gone. Luckily, it was. I took a look and there is a rubber stopper in the top of this bottle. I’m assuming this was the culprit for this rather unpleasant note. So once again, I poured a dram…, and then another, the aromas became much more enticing with each pour.
The primary aroma that I picked up on was hints of vanilla, a bit of clove, and some faint hints of peat. I’m not incredibly familiar with blended Scotches, but I assume that similar to bourbon, they blend them to make them a bit more mellow. I also assume that they don’t want one particular flavor overpowering the others, like it would in a single barrel product.
Overall, this had a nice mellow blend, one that allows different flavors to shine through a bit on their own.
Palate
The palate on this HM The King Scotch Whisky is very tasty. Definitely picking up on that vanilla spice from the nose. It has a nice sweet note similar to honey in there as well. A nice overall sweetness, that peat doesn’t really shine through much on the palate. Just a nice well balanced sipping whisky. Really enjoying it as I get further into the bottle.
Finish
To me the finish on this whisky is a little thin. Not too much viscosity overall. The legs run somewhat long, but the mouthfeel of the finish seems a bit thin. There’s not much of a coating on the end either, just a quick hit and then gone. A little disappointing, but with the combination of the palate it does make for a smooth easy drinking whisky.
Conclusion:
- Overall, I enjoyed this whisky! To me it’s a tasty blended Scotch that is easy to drink and very affordable. It has limited availability right now, only being allocated in these cities: Chicago, Nashville, Lexington (KY), Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. So if you’re in those areas you should check it out. At only $25 a bottle, it’s intriguing and a nice whisky that can be a daily drinker if you enjoy it.
