Famous Grouse, Smoky Black Review

[@TomSutts1969]

I was sipping on some highland park 12 while watching this, so looking forward to future video's! Happy Easter to you and your family!!! Cheers Jon!🥃🥃

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

A great choice! A better dram than this, and thankfully still affordable.

[@WhiskeyNovice]

I've yet to try the Smoky Black but I'm currently working on my review of the Naked Grouse. I get exactly what you're saying about reviewing these blends Jon. It doesn't necessarily tick the boxes (anymore) for those a little further along their journey but...it's always good to check these things out too. Thanks for the review buddy.

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

I look forward to watching! Thanks for dropping in, and I hope you have a great weekend.

[@joseroque1082]

Great review WN can't wait for your series to come out thank you

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Thanks, you are always so kind!

[@Haystack777lyle]

Blessed Easter to you. Thanks for the review. That bottle of Famous Grouse has been sitting in the cupboard for a long time, but you tempted me to try it once again. It's not great, but it isn't bad either. Cheers!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Perhaps that is what it is going for. I hope you have a blessed Easter too!

[@NickDV007]

Enjoyed the review Jon and look forward to the mini series. It's nice that you take time to review cheaper, available and blended whisk(e)y, and give them a fair chance. I haven't tried the FG yet, but agree the JW is nice and easy to drink. Enjoy the rest of your Easter weekend 🥃🥃

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Thanks! I hope you have an excellent weekend too.

[@foodquig]

Smoky Black is one great budget dram!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@WhiskyWars]

good idea for a mini series, you should do it :) currently watching with a dram of Black Bottle!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Ahh, that is one I have not had yet. How do you find it?

[@WhiskyWars]

@@WhiskyNeighbour I've not reviewed it yet but from the blends I've tried, its my favourite but more of a sweet smoke than an islay. definitely worth a buy though if its cheap in your area, for me its £16 so a bargain really

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

@@WhiskyWars That sounds fantastic!

[@murduk88]

Bring all the cheaper peated blends/bottles to the table you want, Jon ... I love them. They tend to go into my golf bag flask, and you'd be shocked how good a sip of Grant's or Dewar's or Famous Grouse tastes on the golf course. 😉 😀 Cheers!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Lol! A perfect idea for them!

[@tristansteinhelfer8083]

personally this is one of my favorite drinks. its the only one i’ve bought more than 3 bottles of (currently on 7) i like the smokiness of it and i think it pairs well with cigars

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Awesome! It is so good to find an expression we enjoy. Cheers

[@drax14QC]

I just brought back a bottle from a trip in Victoria, BC, I like it ! I agree with you : it’s very easy to drink, sweet, not super smoky (at least for me, but I’m very new in the world of peat and just scotch in general) but very enjoyable. I would recommend it ! I really wanna try Johnnie Walker Black !

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Glad you enjoy it. I think it is a good scotch to try and certainly before jumping into the ISAY deep end with Laphroaig or Ardbeg. I hope you enjoy JW Black!

[@drax14QC]

@@WhiskyNeighbour thanks! I hope too. I kind of know that I have an interest for smoky Islay scotches because I’ve tasted Ardbeg Ten once and I was really impressed! Totally different than any whisky I’d had before! Bowmore 12 is one I am very interested to try and it seems like a perfect introduction to Islay peat.

[@kevinembury3446]

Happy Easter Jon. This was one of my first peated Scotches. I found it okay to drink neat but enjoyed it better in an Old Fashioned cocktail. Probably won't buy it again. Have a fantastic weekend young man. Cheers from out wet here in The Grove.

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Cheers indeed! I agree, nothing amazing, but then, not really bad for me either. Take care!

[@PrestigeLiquidsWW]

Excellent content as always. This sounds like a good entry level scotch. I just reviewed a Singleton, your notes for this remind me of my review. Nothing great but something that is very easy to drink 🤣

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Thanks for dropping in. I would agree, this is similar to an entrance Single Malt, like Singleton. A little more grain sweetness. Still, an easy dram. Take care!

[@TheWhiskyExplorer]

Hoppy Easter Neighbour! 🥃🐰. I have almost pulled the trigger on this a few times. If it was bottled at 43% or higher I’d have already bought one. Cheers. Always happy to hear your thoughts! I appreciate these comparisons at the end! I’ve always liked JW Black (even at 40%). We pay $55 here in BC! I’d have it on my bar at all times for $45! Only one tax in AB too!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Thanks for dropping in, and sharing a dram. I am spoiled in AB for pricing, I know. I agree with the 43, but even at 40, its not bad, and the price is amazing!

[@gkchannel3345]

Awesome video🙂

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Thank you, enjoy the weekend!

[@ianoloughnan9345]

Happy Easter

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

To you too!

[@bfischer611]

I have had a few bottles of Smokie Black, and it is a nice budget scotch. Similar to the JW black.

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@raygiemza3690]

Good review, Jon. Here in North Carolina the price differential is about the same between the JWB and FGSB, ten dollars. I'm looking forward to your future reviews of affordable smokey whiskys. Here's your challenge - find a convincing one for me that's worth purchasing. This one doesn't seem to cut it. So, I'll save my pennies until you make a case or I'll continue saving for a higher quality single malt. A very Happy Easter to you and yours!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Thanks for the challenge. I'm always looking for that dram myself. Sadly, so many are just "ok", but not worth jumping on. I hope you enjoy the weekend too.

[@Jamesy1993]

Really wasn’t keen on this one even at the crazy low price. I recently picked up a bottle of Penderyn Celt for £22, lightly peated from being finished in Laphroaig Quarter Casks. Wow very very nice and natural colour, none chill filtered. Blows this one and JW black out of the water in my opinion. Anyway, another great vid and happy Easter 😉

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

I would gladly try that! Sounded excellent, thabks for sharing.

[@WhiskeyStraightAl]

I was gifted a bottle of this a few years ago, and I just couldn't stomach it to the extent I ended up gifting it to someone else. The JW Black, I am reasonably fond of, but it still doesn't really 'do it' for me. Now, since then my peat palate has mellowed and evolved, so a revisit would be interesting. Cheers Jon - a happy Easter to you and your family. Cheers.

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Thanks Al. I hope you have a fantastic weekend too. I might look for half bottles or something for these. Neither are going to amaze I think!

[@danielmcevoy976]

I drink it with OJ at breakfast when I am on vacation. I converted one vodka drinker so far. Vodka is for hand sanitizer. 😁

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Lol! Indeed, OJ and Scotch, can't say I have tried it. Maybe tomorrow! Have a great weekend.

[@francescoalbanese9215]

Hope you have a good Easter tomorrow. JW black is a nice, very easy drinking and mildly complex dram. I like it. However, for $58 here in Ontario I’d rather spend a couple bucks more and get a 12 year old single malt. If I want a blended scotch I’ll just get Ballantines finest for half the price, even if it’s not as refined or smoky as the jw black. On a side note, I wonder if glen turret is sourcing local highland peat which would make its character more along the lines of something like Ardmore rather than the coastal Islay peat.

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

This peat is certainly more like Ardmore than Islay. Thanks for the sharing a bit more. Cheers!

[@francescoalbanese9215]

What are your thoughts on Ardmore? I’ve had the legacy which was a bit young and only 40% abv, but was quite tasty for the price in my opinion. Wish we could get the higher end Ardmore’s here!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

@@francescoalbanese9215 The last bottle of Ardmore I enjoyed with a good friend. It was a great night, so too many memories of that tied up in the Scotch. I enjoy it, a little more floral and honey than this dram.

[@GregoryKodolanyiRitter]

Hi Jon, I bought this today for £15 in a Tesco in London. Of course, it was on offer. Cheers!

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Wow, great price, I hope you enjoy!

[@pross6525]

I haven't had this one yet. I have seen it at a local liquor store. My go to Scotch is Monkey Shoulder. Do you think it's worth buying?

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

@pross6525 this is a good, lightly smoky Scotch.not complex, but easy to enjoy.

[@sowlegwhiskyreview5501]

Sounds like this could do with more smoke. But I like the idea of trying out some of the cheaper well-known bottles. We might be missing some good/decent drams by turning them down too fast. As you know I was quite taken with FGs port cask considering how very affordable it is. Too bad this didn't reach above expectations.

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

It was good enough that I would try their Port Cask, if it ever showed up here. This is not bad, jut not good and I have too many average bottles on the shelf!

[@SamWereb]

04:22 He stops talking long enough to taste it. 04:24 He starts talking again.

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Not sure what you are saying. You can see the bottle is almost 3/4 down. I clearly have tasted it. I like to taste live with you to remind me what I get in the moment. Were you concerned that I did not actually try the liquid?

[@Dobbsauthor]

I actually like this one - it's a good smoky taste without paying premium for it

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Great! Certainly affordable here, thanks for sharing, Cheers!

[@Sunny45553]

I get it for $ 27.00 for a whole 1.75 bottle, it's an excellent Smoky blended scotch,

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Glad you enjoy it and wow, that is a good price!

[@bighuge1060]

My review? Tastes like scotch and smoke. No nuances with certain notes but just a nice peated scotch. It's a lot smoother than Ardbeg 5 which burns as it goes down. If you like road tar, go with Laphrouix 10 and don't mind spending a little more, the Port Charlotte 10; the latter being my favorite so far.

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Love the PC, and I guess I'm OK with road tar, as I like Laphroaig too. Thanks for sharing!

[@jd218]

I'm blue color I'd haft to say a stogie and smoky grouse rocks.just a tad of water.Im a yank last name Kirk so thrifty

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

I am not sure I got all of that, but certainly a good thrifty pour that would parner well with a stogie!

[@jd218]

@@WhiskyNeighbour Two people separated by a common language. lol.Blue color worker not wealthy.Kirk my ancestors Scottish so thrifty.

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

@@jd218 oh! Right I see that clearly now, not sure how I miss read it. I am going through a whole moth talking about only value whiskies right now. Cheers

[@richardarmitage5976]

You know I think you should do your self a favor in not lowering your expectations, kinda hard to get the most out of a wisky unless go in honest and give up on all this marketing lingo .

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

I'm not sure I follow? I ended up liking this one. Simple, but easy to drink. What do you mean?

[@richardarmitage5976]

Can't wait for the rest of these ones my favorite budget is Whyte and mackay special, Haha.

[@richardarmitage5976]

@@WhiskyNeighbour you know this chill filtered coloured abv stuff just I don't get it I guess I m not there yet.

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

@@richardarmitage5976 Oh. OK, yes, I would recognize I have a bias for non-chill filtered, non-coloured and stronger whisky. I do try to give all whiskies a chance though. I have lots of bottles that are like this. Many I enjoy a fair amount too.

[@whiskeymusic9684]

Happy Easter 🐣

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

And to you!