Welcome to the latest episode of Wednesday Whisky, wherein I drink whisky and tell you about it. Today’s lucky contestant is —

What? Why you looking at me like that?

“Well, Lemmy, usually Wednesday is–”

Listen, I decide when it’s Wednesday around here. By extension, that means I also decide what happens when I decide it’s Wednesday. Is this going to be a problem for you?

“Well, it’s just–”

Yeah, I didn’t think so. Now where was I? Oh, yes. Today’s entry is McClelland’s Lowland Scotch Whisky, a single-malt whisky weighing in at 80 proof. I paid $30 for this bottle at regular price, which is one reason you might consider drinking it.

Now, while McClelland’s single-malts come in four expressions, representing four styles of Scotch whisky (Highland, Lowland, Islay, and Speyside), there is no actual McClelland distillery. The whisky is assumed to be sourced from the parent conglomerate’s actual distilleries, and thus this Lowland Scotch is rumoured to be 3-year-old Auchentoshan (likewise, the Islay is assumed to be 3-year-old Bowmore). Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s drink some whisky.

What’s it smell like? There is caramel and/or butterscotch, some peat smoke and…….something familiar………citrus? Maybe Rose’s Lime Juice? No, not quite. I dunno. Weird. There’s a lot of just plain ethanol here, too.

What’s it taste like? It is slightly sweet, with the aforementioned butterscotch and peat. And there’s that familiar………….thing. Is it citrus? No, but it’s in the ballpark. Wait a minute, is that……………? Seriously?……………It’s fucking tequila! Why does my Scotch taste like fucking tequila?! Anyway, I don’t claim to know what a “young” whiskey tastes like, but I’ll bet it tastes like this. It could have really benefited from another year or three in the barrel. A bit of ice or a few drops of water actually calm this down, and is a real improvement.

Should you buy it? Don’t let me tell you what to do with your money. If you’re oddly intrigued by the idea of Scotch that tastes like smoky butterscotch tequila, go for it.

Will I buy it again? I dunno. Maybe for $5-10 less. It’s interesting and different, but at $30, there are too many good bourbons out there.