Sir Edward’s Finest (40%)

Sir Edward’s is a trademark of Bardinet, a French company. Bardinet’s parent company La Martiniquaise bought Glen Moray distillery in 2008 (seller was Glenmorangie). There mostly comes the malt whiskey for Sir Edward’s blended scotch. Likely this is the birth year of the label, even though there is a year 1891 put on the label. Bardinet also produces Label 5 blended Scotch, which is among top 10 most sold Scotch, but also some brandys and rums. Sir Edward’s is distilled and matured in Scotland, blended and bottled in France. Sir Edward’s is said to be the 12th most sold Scotch in the world. 20cl bottle costs 5.89€

Nose is sharp and quite alcoholic. Hints of fruits and honey. Flowers, grain whisky, nuts, cereals and bananas. Taste is also sharp and quite hot, plenty of grain whisky, a bit of apple, cinnamon and hints of vanilla and pepper. Aftertaste is short, some pepper and banana. It tastes quite the same as the other French product, William Peel. It’s more floral and fruity than Scotch in usual, it looks like French customers enjoy Speyside like sweet and fruity tones. It’s better than the worst and rather unknown bottlings from Glasgow, but somehow weaker than the big players, Grant’s and Ballantines. It’s not a nice sipper, but it suits very well on cocktails due to its fruity and floral taste profile.

74/100

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Peter Bierwirth

    Gentlement: Please note that a Scotch Whisky is not spelled ‘Whiskey’. This orthography is reserved for Bourbon (American) and Irish whiskeys. That a Scotch Whisky that is distilled and matured in Scotland, but “blended and bottled in France’ still can be market as Scotch’ was new to me and poses the question where do the French get their whiskies from whom in order to be able for ‘blending’? Isn’t there some analogy to French some of which are illedally ‘blended’ with Moroccan or Spanish wines? I also was surprised that the Website of ‘Sir Edward’s’ does not even mention the Scottish address of the distillery. I stil have to check via Google Maps whether Glen Moray distillery still exists.

    1. admin

      Hi, thanks for the info. I am well aware about how the spell whisky/whiskey in different regions, but somehow that wrong spelling have left in the review of Sir Edwards (even it was correct in the title). The company who produce Sir Edwards whisky also owns distillery in Scotland, so they should not have any difficulties to get whisky from different distilleries. As far as I know, it is enough that the whisky is distilled and matured (3 years) in Scotland to call it Scotch Whisky, even it is blended and bottled in another country. Many alcohol producer do this around the world, where they buy both malt and grain whisky from Scotland and then bottle it on own premises and sell as a Scotch Whisky under own brand. Glen Moray distillery is located in city of Elgin, in Speyside area.

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