This sample was provided to me by @jilhix_whisky.
Let’s travel back in time. The year is 1854 and James Eadie, a gentleman known to never be in a hurry, released his first blended Scotch whisky. Taking the time to do things properly, and to never rush, his secret was simple. An exceptional blend requires only three things: exceptional whiskies, carefully selected wood, and years of expertise. Not one of these can be substituted, they also cannot be rushed. Why? The art of blending, like whisky itself, improves with age.
Are you detecting a theme here?
Being somewhat of an entrepreneur, in 1877, James Eadie took advantage of the new Trade Mark Registration Act to register a simple and bold logo. With this, his most traditional Scotch whiskies became one of the world’s first trademarks: James Eadie’s Trade Mark ‘X’.
Fast forward to the late 1940s and Trade Mark ‘X’ disappeared from shelves.
Hit that fast forward button again to the present day. James Eadie’s great-great-grandson decided now was the time to track down the old ledgers and sample one of the last surviving bottles with experts. Recreating this legendary blend using 14 of the 16 whiskies originally used. Oh, he also followed those three important points.
That’s enough time travel for today, let’s jump into the whisky.
From the website. Bottled at 45.6% ABV, Second Edition, Non-chill filtered.
The Colour: Barley Gold
The Sniff: Musty peat with grassy notes first meet my senses. This opens into some fruit notes of strawberry nibs, hints of chocolate and fresh dough rising.
The Sip: Like the sniff, the sip is first met with delicious Islay peat and a smoke I didn’t detect on the nose. Hints of grass are met by the sweet Speyside notes of the strawberry nibs, mixed with brown sugared cooked pears. All of this blends nicely with a decent amount of pepper, lime and citrus (like a clementine or tangerine). It has an oily mouthfeel that stays on the tongue with just a little in the cheeks. All these flavours move to the finale.
The Finale: Surprisingly long and filled with peat, unsweetened chocolate and white pepper.
The Wrap Up. This long lost Scotch blend is very enjoyable. While not overly complex, it is very approachable and pleasant. It has just the right amount of peat and smoke to keep the Islay lover happy, while introducing a newbie to the wonderful world of Islay whiskies. Against the peat, the sweet flavours from the Speyside whiskies come through. This is a bottle I would love to have on my shelf to share with friends and find out if X marks the spot.
