Reviewed by @markjedi1

0 179/100

It is very well possible that the Highland expression by McClelland’s is actually a Glen Garioch, but I do not have this confirmed. I base this solely on the fact that the botter is owned for years by Morrison-Bowmore Ltd, who own the Glen Garioch distillery. Let us just taste and see if we can find out more.

Honeysweet and malty nose. Breakfast cereals. Frosties to be precise. Pears and peach. Honey. Something herbal. Pine needles? Hint of cardboards and peat. Evolves towards cake with dried fruit. Pineapple cubes. Pleasant enough, but not Earth shattering.

The body is rather light. Immediately spicy, though. Think pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and even a lost bit of cloves. The fruit returns, still in candied form. The peat is very discrete, but unmistakable. A nice palate, all in all. Simplicity is not synonymous with bad.

The peat punches through in the medium long finish. At the death, I suddenly get some nuts and peach.

The Highland from McClelland is the best from the series for me. And yes, I do believe this is a young Glen Garioch. A bottle costs a mere 20 EUR.

@Frost commented:

I'm not nuts about this McClelland's range, but I found the Highland to be the one that agreed with me most. I got ripe strawberries in my tasting.

I tried a vatting of all four in equal parts and it was superior to the separate components.

Comment on @markjedi1's review

Reviewed by @talexander

0 475/100

I don't know why I keep trying these McClellands - I've never that crazy about them. Maybe because they're inexpensive? Am I a cheap drunk??

I think this is probably Glen Garioch, since it is the only Highland distillery in the portfolio of Morrison Bowmore, the owner of the McClelland's brand.

The colour is a medium gold. Fairly malty on the nose, with heather, oak, marzipan, light honey and pine needles. There is a vegetal note there that is reminiscent of Glen Garioch. Vanilla. A hint of Nutella. Maltier with water. You can tell this is young and spirity, though - but it's fairly complex.

On the palate there is darker honey with more spice, pine, vanilla and barley sugar. Lime, green apple and kumquats. The palate is somewhat less than the nose, but a drop of water brightens things up a bit.

The finish is off - rough, short and a little unpleasant, with berries and dark chocolate. Overall, it's not bad but doesn't finish off well.

@Ol_Jas commented:

I think "dull" is the perfect word for this one. Its personality is figuratively dull, and its taste is literally dull.

@BlueNote commented:

Thanks for your usual thoughtful and informative review @talexander. I think you are a bit generous at 75, maybe 70 or less for me.

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Reviewed by @JeffC

0 245/100

This was another budget malt under the McClelland label which go for around $US 25 in my neck of the woods. They also bottle a Lowland, Speyside and Islay version which I hope to try and review at some point. I bought it to get into single malts after having tried many blends. While it is acceptable and there is nothing wrong with it, there is not much right with it in my mind either.

There is a strong floral element in the nose and taste of this, kind of like you are sticking your nose in a massive bouquet at a flower store. I've never had allergies to flowers but I can imagine if I did it might be a bit like I was over indulging in this whisky.

There is enough complexity in the nose and taste to make this acceptable in my view. The finish is somewhat tickly and peppery with a slight chemical like element. I would not go out of my way to buy this again and find other blends more to my liking. Still, the price cannot be beat and it might be a welcome diversion or something to try over a month when funds are a bit tight or you want to impress a relative or friend and allow them to make mixed Scotch drinks with this as a single malt base.

I had several drinks of this over a month, mostly neat in a Glencairn glass.

@mcginnin commented:

This was the first single malt that I purchased....I gave it to my brother as a fathers day gift enough said.