Review #739 - Maclean's Nose Blended Scotch Whisky

Maclean's Nose is a blended Scotch whisky that was launched by Adelphi independent bottlers, owners of Ardnamurchan distillery, in 2023. This is a reasonably priced blend, with a price of about $35 here in the US; despite that price, this breaks the mold for a cheap blend by using a high malt to grain ratio, specifically 70% malt whisky and 30% grain whisky.

Maclean's Nose doesn't carry an age statement, but the whisky in the current batches are a minimum of 4 years old; in fact, the components generally range from 4 to 7 years old, and will likely grow slowly older as the batches are produced over the next several years.

A large part of this blend - roughly 50% of it - is Ardnamurchan single malt, which makes sense, as Adelphi would be able to supply plenty of it as owners of the distillery. The other 20% of the blend which is malt whisky comes from Campbeltown; it's Glen Scotia, but specifically a teaspooned component.

That final 30% which is grain whisky is interesting in that it's grain whisky made predominantly with corn. The majority of Scottish grain whisky used to be made with corn several decades ago, but wheat became more cost-effective for distilleries due to grain prices; now, the vast majority of the grain used in grain whisky is wheat, but there's one large distillery in the Lowland region that still uses corn for their whisky. This corn-heavy mashbill is said to add a sweetness and richness to the grain whisky, which Adelphi sought out to round out the profile of Maclean's Nose.

Both ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry casks are used for the maturation of this whisky's components; the bottling strength is 46% ABV, and this blend is not chill filtered and contains no added color.

Maclean's Nose Blended Scotch Whisky

Scotland - Blend

Price: USD 35 (2025)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 46% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon and sherry casks

Details: Not chill filtered, no color added

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 months; bottles at 50%, 90%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Salty and a bit savory, creamy and sweet - a decent amount of complexity for the age and price. Orange soda, slate, and a bit of peat smoke combine with lemon, malt, and some sugary pear. There are pleasant grain notes and a bit of brown sugar later on.

Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness. Peat has a decent influence now, adding a fizzy note that pairs well with a lemon-lime soda flavor we find. Malt, corn bread, brown sugar, and vanilla... cake icing, mineral notes, and orange too. We get hints of cinnamon and honey later, and overall, this is nice and cohesive.

Finish: More malty and creamy grain notes, lots of sugary flavors like brown sugar, and some softer peat linger. Orange citrus, even orange juice, is found in the aftertaste; this finish has a medium length.

Final Note: This is a very solid blend - an interesting mix of different flavor profiles with the combination of sweet and spicy, savory and smoky. There's a little bit of youth, but honestly we think this fares better than most whiskies in this age range; both the ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry casks add nice influences and balance. Tasty stuff, a bottle we are happy to have on the shelf.

Value here is excellent, one of the best we've rated in recent memory. The price on this bottle is very fair, on the cheap end of the spectrum for Scotch whisky, and this delivers plenty of flavor. It's bottled at 46% ABV, and the lack of chill filtration and added coloring are rare for bottles at this sort of price point - great quality, a highly recommended bottle if you're looking for a new blend.

Our Rating: 6.3 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 7.65

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.