Buchanan’s 12-year-old DeLuxe scotch is a venerable blended scotch with a low profile, though it scores rather high in the quality department. Notes of baked bread, vanilla and light medicinal notes harmoniously weave together to create a long, lightly sweet finish.
Awards Double Gold Medal, 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition; 9-time Gold Medal winner, San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Pros
Most low-to-mid-priced blended scotches are used for mixing nowadays, but Buchanan’s 12-year-old is a versatile dram that makes a top-notch sipper, as well.
Buchanan’s huge global sales belie a relatively low profile in the States, which makes it an affordable mainstream whisky that also has a cool under-the-radar vibe to appeal to whiskyphiles.
Cons
The brand’s low price and relatively low profile can cause scotch buyers to overlook it and go for flashier and more recognizable brands like Johnnie Walker.
Color: Light yellow-gold—many of Diageo’s whiskies contain caramel coloring, but given how relatively light this is, it would be surprising if it were artificially colored.
Nose: This is the way a good old-fashioned blended scotch is supposed to smell: rather medicinal at first (similar to Dewar’s), with light vanilla and freshly baked bread coming to the fore as the whisky interacts with the air around it.
Palate: It’s rounded and gentle (some might say “smooth”) but quite flavorful. Vanilla, apricot and melon are the stars of the show upfront, with lightly medicinal notes bringing up the rear. The malt and grain flavors gradually increase in intensity as the whisky moves to the back of the palate.
Finish: Long, lightly sweet and a touch medicinal, with malty notes lingering long after the final sip
Our Review
Buchanan’s isn’t quite a household name in the U.S., but the venerable brand has been around since 1884, when James Buchanan, a London merchant and entrepreneur, produced his own blended scotch to sell in the underserved British market. Since then, it has survived and thrived, with a largely overlooked presence stateside but a global fanbase that makes it one of the best-selling blended scotches in the world.
It’s popular for a reason. This is a terrific old-school blended scotch, the kind of whisky your grandfather drank. Back in Gramps’ day, Buchanan’s was a high-end top-shelf brand. Today, it’s migrated downward, joining other blends like Dewar’s or Cutty Sark. With its medicinal notes, Buchanan’s bears some similarity to Dewar’s White Label, but Buchanan’s is more balanced, with a beautifully rounded, nuanced sweetness and maltiness.
Buchanan’s 12-year-old is the rare beast that’s both affordable and delicious. It’s easy to drink, but that doesn’t mean it’s simple or one-dimensional. Those who pay attention will be rewarded with unfolding layers of flavor, though it’s also great for social drinking-without-thinking imbibing. There’s really no wrong way to drink this versatile dram. It’s stellar when taken neat or on the rocks. The brand’s website lists a host of co*cktails in which it can be included, many of them with a surprising Tiki bent, but a simple Highball or Rob Roy is a fine place to start. That said, the price is right for experimentation. This isn’t a whisky to save for special occasions.
The Bottom Line
Buchanan’s 12-year-old is a darn-near-perfect whisky, one that can stand proudly alongside any blended scotch on the market, regardless of price or age. Whether sipped neat or mixed into a co*cktail, its quality shines through.
Buchanan's 12-year-old DeLuxe scotch is a venerable blended scotch
blended scotch
A blended whiskey (or blended whisky) is the product of blending different types of whiskeys and sometimes also neutral spirits, colorings, and flavorings. It is generally the product of mixing one or more higher-quality straight or single malt whiskey with less expensive spirits and other ingredients.
with a low profile, though it scores rather high in the quality department. Notes of baked bread, vanilla and light medicinal notes harmoniously weave together to create a long, lightly sweet finish.
Buchanan's Master is good for what it is – an entry level blended whisky that has flavour, though certainly edgy and a bit disjointed. It's not complicated.
Price-wise, Buchanan's 12 is an echelon above the really ubiquitous grocery store or “corner liquor” products like Cutty Sark, J&B, and Dewar's white label. And yes, Johnnie Red.
The brand range currently consists of Buchanan's Deluxe 12-year-old (light, with a sweet cereal core and trace of citrus), Buchanan's Master, which includes malts from all Scotland's main whisky regions, and Buchanan's Special Reserve 18-year-old.
A classic for nearly 100 years, Buchanan's 12-year old whisky is one of the world's most iconic and awarded luxury Scotch whisky brands. It has a soft and fruity flavor, with orange and chocolate notes that allow it to be served on the rocks or with soda, garnished with a strip of orange peel.
Buchanan launched his whisky company in 1884 and quickly shared it with the world, traveling from Scotland to London to Latin America. Today, the bottle's Red Lion crest proudly wears its origin, “Buchanan's Scotland,” but continues to spread its smoothness around the globe from Bogota to Los Angeles to Mexico City.
The Bottom Line. Buchanan's 12-year-old is a darn-near-perfect whisky, one that can stand proudly alongside any blended scotch on the market, regardless of price or age.
Whiskey is a broad term that encompasses many different types of spirits, including bourbon, rye whisky, Irish whiskey, and more. Scotch, on the other hand, refers specifically to whiskey that is made in Scotland according to strict regulations set by the Scotch Whisky Association.
Top Shelf: Bottles on the highest shelves behind a bar. Though there's no hard rule as to cost, these tend to be bottles that would retail for $50 or more in a store. Mid Shelf: Bottles on the lower half of the shelf behind a bartender. With liquor, this would usually be bottles that fall in the $25–50 range.
While whiskey doesn't necessarily expire, it does start to lose flavor and elements after it is opened. An unopened bottle of whiskey will last indefinitely if stored in proper condition. After opening a bottle of whiskey, you have as long as two years or as few as six months or less to drink it before it goes bad.
My family & I definitely enjoy Buchanan's! It's one of our go-tos in every family gathering. It's smooth & taste great either with some apple or pineapple juice. Love that it does not have a strong nasty aftertaste either.
Given the price, you should really be drinking Buchanan's neat. If you're looking for something to use as a mixer, you have far cheaper options available which will perform just as well. Drinking your scotch neat allows you to explore the drink's aromas and flavors without a mixer masking or overpowering anything.
Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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