Acquired Taste – James Cree’s Single Malt

For quite some time now, I wanted to come up with a drink using the Fever Tree Smoky Ginger Ale. When I got my hands on the James Cree’s Single Malt, I knew that this was the perfect opportunity to come up with a Horse’s Neck variation. Furthermore, we also take a closer look at this Scotch aged in sherry casks.

There is not a lot of information out there on the James Cree’s Single Malt. One thing that we do know is, that an undisclosed distillery produces it in the Lowlands. Afterwards, the spirit rests in Oloroso sherry casks in Edinburgh. There the single malt is bottled at an ABV of 40 %, too. Furthermore, the Single Malt was inspired by James Cree and John Crabbie, who were whisky merchants in the 1800s.

Mellow sherry notes

The taste of the James Cree’s clearly reminds me of Lowland Single Malts. You can taste mellow malt flavours and some vanilla notes. Apart from that, I got a pronounced sherry fruit note in the form of gooseberries and dried fruits. All in all, the single malt is very mellow and smooth. However, it also could have used a bit more ABV.

Honey, spices and smoke

As mentioned above, I wanted to create a drink with the Fever Tree Smoky Ginger Ale. So, I combined the James Cree’s Single Malt with a bit of Drambuie for a Horse’s Neck variation. To add a bit more refreshing flavours, I also included a splash of lemon notes.

As you might suspect from a Horse’s Neck variation, the “Acquired Taste” starts with a combination of whisky notes with a hint of ginger. After a while, the smoky flavours of the ginger beer hit. Apart from that, the Drambuie brings honey and spicy notes to the mix. In the end, the drink is an easy sipper with just enough complexity to set it apart from the regular Horse’s Neck highball.

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The whisky was provided by The Dropstore Germany.