JB Rare 1.5l

OK, now that we've tried that older 40% mini - and before we try the 43% mini - let's try today's standard bottling.

The colour is a bright, light gold - slightly darker and more vibrant than the mini I just reviewed. On the nose, lots and lots of lemon - more like a lemon custard, and with a very, very slight whiff of smoke. Nondescript. Water does improve things a little, though.

On the palate we have a very similar profile to the nose, but there is also a spirity vinegary quality that makes it less pleasant than the older mini I just reviewed. Unbalanced, but water smooths things out a little.

The finish is medium length, with some spice, herbs and a wee bit of peat. This is quite different than the old mini I just had - younger, in some ways more vibrant but in other ways, much weaker. It doesn't have enough body and it feels like the casks were tired. Not recommended as a standard budget blend for your cabinet. Despite the veneration of this brand, the website tries pathetically to position it as a young "party" whisky (the home page must have the word "party", with pictures of mirrorballs, about a hundred times). The site doesn't even have tasting notes, or any mention of other J&B expressions! Just party, mix and dance. Weird...but I wonder if the marketing works?

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