Bell's Scotch Whisky > Reviews (5)

A-ha, this’ll shock you! KarenUK writes about something that isn’t an Avon product nor do I mention Pop Idol once. Oops…

BELL’S SCOTCH WHISKY

Now, most people who have written in this category are fans of whisky, not me. I rarely drinkalcohol and if I do, my choice of tipple is Bailey’s or a nice cheap white wine like Lambrusco Dell Emilia. (My daughter of that name is named after a gymnast, not the wine!!)

But when I get a sore throat, I turn to the whisky bottle! I have tried almost every throat medication you can think of and nothing is as effective at easing a sore throat than whisky!

This means I don’t drink whisky for the enjoyment of the taste, so I usually buy cheap stuff. However, this week when my throat was bad, the cheapest we could get from the local Spar was this one – Bell’s Scotch Whisky at a mere £4.50! Of course, parting with that much money is enough to make me cough, but it does work.

Even I have heard of the company Bell’s, it has apparently been around since 1825. It is made in Scotland – hence the term Scotch whisky – see, I catch on quick! The bottle I bought contains 20cl and is a whopping 40% alcohol, so keep it well away from the kids!

This particular whisky is, according to the bottle, eight years old. The label boasts of being ‘smooth blend [which] contains the finest examples from the four whisky producing regions of Scotland’ and explains these are ‘matured in oak casks’. I guess this explains the high price.

They describe the taste as ‘a fruity oatmeal’ and ‘a fresh sweet toffee’ but I can’t see this at all. The whisky is a dark orange-brown colour, which would look at home in any hospital sample bottle. It smells of very strong alcohol and it tastes like fire with a kick.

I can’t ever see myself being a whisky drinker for pleasure, but it does have its uses. Besides being great for gargling with when you have a sore throat, it is lovely in other drinks. I know you can mix it and have whisky and water or whisky and coke (is that right?), but personally, I love it in coffee.

When mixed in this way with coffee, it is also good for your throat as it is hot, and the kick is slightly reduced, making it a more pleasant drink and less of a ‘needs must’ situation. If you add it to milky coffee, it is absolutely gorgeous and yes, the combination of the milk and whisky do help you to sleep.

So whisky isn’t all bad, despite my protestations. But as a drink of choice? No, thanks. I’d prefer a cuppa ;-)