Scallywag Small Batch Release: good daily dram
Today, we taste a Scallywag of which a sample was kindly gifted to me by my local retailer. This bottle with the cute looking dog is part of the range of Regional Malts created by Douglas Laing. There are many variants, highlighting the different regions of Scotland, like the very popular Big Peat releases from Islay or The Gauldrons from Campbeltown. Decent quality for a decent price.
Scallywag Small Batch Release, bottled at 46 % abv by Douglas Laing
First things first: This is Speyside blended malt whisky that matured in bourbon hogsheads and Spanish sherry butts. Bottled 15 July 2025.
Upon Sipping: Surprisingly creamy with a milky strawberry infusion, like a milkshake almost. Very fragrant and bright, jumping at you from the glass, like a happy dog indeed! With some breathing, the fruitiness dissolves a little and makes way for a pronounced copper coin smell. Like grabbing a handful of these pins that you can buy at every distillery with a shop, and then smelling your hands. Making me think there is a dose of Dailuaine in there. The taste seems to confirm this, with a rubbery dry leather note on the mid-palate. It misses some of the orchard fruit that we love in regular Speyside whisky, but this fits the mold just as well. It certainly is a more daring choice. With more sips some fruitiness comes up, but it remains close to the strawberry milkshake. Quite loveable!
Word to the Wise: A very nice and non-offensive blended malt, offering lots of flavour and good backbone, to enjoy on a daily basis.
Score: 82 points.