Back in the 19th century, Matthew Gloag sold wine (and various Whiskies) at his shop in Perth. When Queen Victoria came around in 1842, he was picked to supply wine to her party. In 1860, during the French Wine crisis, his son William started blending his own Whiskies and a few decades later, his nephew created a blend he called The Grouse. Soon, the blend became a big deal and the family renamed it to The Famous Grouse. Eventually, the distillery joined The Macallan and the Highland Park in a Spirits group. In 2011, a wild blended Scotch matured in ex-Sherry casks appeared and they called it The Naked Grouse and it was a smoother and sweeter addition to The Famous Grouse family.
Now, The Naked Grouse is a strong, independent bird, albeit still naked. It is an answer to an increasingly demanding clientele (both drinkers and bartenders) who want something unique with distinctive flavor. This Whisky made for "older millennials" is a masterful blend of different Malts, including Macallan, Highland Park, and Glenturret. It was first matured in American and European oak casks and finished for six months in barrels that used to hold oloroso Sherry. The Naked Grouse is designed as a "session Whisky" and it's best enjoyed neat or with cherry cola. Simple in design, fantastic in taste. It won a Silver and a Bronze at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (2013 and 2014, respectively).
The Flavor Spiral™ shows the most common flavors that you'll taste in The Naked Grouse and gives you a chance to have a taste of it before actually tasting it.
We invented Flavor Spiral™ here at Flaviar to get all your senses involved in tasting drinks and, frankly, because we think that classic tasting notes are boring.
Dog Dogson's
Smartass Corner
Whisky or Whiskey? The spelling differs geographically. In Scotland, Japan, and some other parts of the world, distilleries usually spell it Whisky; in Ireland and the USA, they spell it Whiskey.
This is a surprisingly nice Scotch. I say that, in part, because I got the bottle from Flaviar for free and my experience has been that the free bottles tend to be less than spectacular. This one, however, is a very nice sipping whiskey. Sweet and smoky as the flavor profile suggests. I'll be keeping a bottle of this in my home bar.
Matthew,
Smooth, good flavor, easy to drink.
garrett,
This stuff is terrible. I literally poured my dram back in the btl. Even worse than a Kirkland brand scotch. Someone pay for the shipping and you can have it.
Michael,
Love this as a sippinng Scotch. Very smooth but with interesting taste profile
Tracy,
This one grew on me - I’ve tried it with an ice cube and in soda, both were pretty good. I primarily taste sherry and caramel at first, with toast coming out a little later. It’s also just a little spicy and smoky. I taste cocoa on the finish, but I haven’t really tasted the cherry that other reviews mentioned. Not bad at all for the price.
Menachem,
I was pleasantly surprised!! Smooth. Great nose. No burn sensation.
Easy sipping scotch. And go figure - I don't do blends but this one rocked!!
Jorge,
One of my favorites and love the price point. Love the light smokey/sherry taste.
Bradley,
Really Smooth! Loved the finish.
Amy,
Mellow and inoffensive
Daniel,
I'm not a big sherry fan, more of a peat guy. But this was delicious, especially for the price. Tastes like chocolate covered cherries after a while. Really good, I'll buy again.
Robert,
Very good drink for the price. Have shared with several friends who also enjoyed this.
Mitchell,
I keep a bottle of Naked Grouse and Monkey Shoulder in my cabinet for something tasty and easy to drink. Hard to find anything better at this price.
Daren,
For the price, this is almost impossible to beat. You have to be a sherried whisky fan, but if you are, it's a fantastic bottle.
Rob,
This affordable single malt has great flavor! I like it so much that I gave as gifts.
Laurie.,
Too Sherry strong. Other than that just ok! Would not buy again
John,
Naked Grouse is pretty wonderful! It is sweet from start to finish with a slight hint of the richness of smoke - just right for tasters who like a sherry finish. Open it us just a touch with some water and you will get the florals and fruits that make this one a winner!
Yeon,
Lots of sherry on the nose. Almost smells like wine. Initial palate is also very wine like. Nice budget option for fans of sherry.
Ashley,
My husband and I did not like the taste of this. Even with the price it was difficult to drink.
Jasson,
All in all, a pretty good dram. Sweet on the nose. Sweet on the tongue with a bit of smoke. The finish is rich and long. Quite smooth for a blend and definitely worth the price tag if you like sherried whiskies. I will definitely buy another.
One note for the moderators: This bottle is 43% not 40%...unless there's been some recent change.
Joey,
Very sharp alcohol taste start to finish. Wife and I didn’t like the strong hit it gave you
BRIAN,
I'm not a fan of the Sherry influence in this one not for me
Jeffery,
Very, very good, dark and rich! For the price point I will be buying again. Nice bottle too.
Sean,
Nice for the price
Robert,
I am new to scotch but have tasted enough single malts to know that this is not them. The flavor is nice but I experience a sharp alcohol aftertaste after every sip. It's just not as smooth or refined - perhaps because it is less expensive? In any case, I am sipping this now and thinking about the new bottle of Dalmore 12 on my shelf ...
Chris,
Taste is ok, but the scent came off as a cheap liquor.
Steven,
Loved it. Very smoky and smooth. This is a scotch to add to the cabinet. Would recommend to any whiskey lover.
Phil,
Naked Grouse was recommended by the staff at Total Wine. Interesting blend considering that this comes from some high profile distillery that features single malt from Glenturret, Glenrothes, Highland Park, and Macallan. The finish aged cask after blend was olosoro sherry butt. Sherry is the name of the game for this dram. On the nose it has definite sherry and dried fruit. Nice balance of fruity and sweetness. Very faint oak and spice finish followed by more sherry. For less than $30 this is a great bottle.
Dee,
Neither my husband or myself liked it at all. The flavor was very different from the other Cognac's we have enjoyed
Casey,
This for one is a scotch
Robert,
Very smooth. A good sipping drink with a light cigar
Jon,
A little too sweet for my preference.
H,
Loved it! Plesanatly surprised. Very smooth with a complex group of tastes. Enough smoke to make it interesting. Nice neat with no strong burn. They have done a great job with this one!
Jeff,
Delicious, sweet, slightly smoky, very drinkable.
Robert,
I didn't like this at all. The flavor is heavy and has something strange I can't identify.
Anthony,
i really enjoy how smooth this is. Quickly moved up on my regular home bar list.
Todd,
A decent dram. Not much complexity but the notes that are here aren’t bad. Might be good in a highball.
Lee,
Another great daily drinker that will not break the bank!! Fantastic!
Aaronde,
Not good as a sipping whiskey. I’m using it in cocktails.
Rob,
This scotch is very enjoyable with a nice finish.
Justin,
Fantastic flavor. Very smooth. Has quickly become a favorite!!
Jesse,
I thought this was a solid blended whiskey. Flavor and smoothness were good at the price point. Although I actually enjoy the Famous Grouse Ruby Cask more.
Michael,
Loved the Naked Grouse! I would consider getting it again!
Michael,
Loved the Naked Grouse! I would consider getting another in the future!
Brad,
If you're thirsting for a classic scotch experience, this really scratches the itch.
Calvin,
Nothing special about it, decent for its price point. Better on the rocks than neat. Spice with a very light smoke finish
Frank,
An excellent sub $40 bottle. Buttery caramel with hints of spice make this an gods sipping blend.
Guillermo,
Really nice budget blend. Smooth and fruity with a smokey tail.
Mathew,
This is a really fun one. Each sip is a bit different. I get apples and toffee on the nose. It’s tases of a bit of sherry, a big spicy kick in the teeth with some underlying smoke that relaxes into a sweet caramel chocolate finish. Fruit notes and maybe a hint of oak come in and out too. I’d buy it again.
Michael,
Not a Scotch drinker but this one is really smooth and finishes beautifully
Michael,
I am by no means a blended scotch drinker but this is a triumph! Complex and deep with an array of flavor profiles from chocolate covered cherries to smoked apricots. This bottle will forever be in my collection!
Eric,
Not a scotch drinker, but this is pretty good.
Elizabeth,
Very smooth and you can taste the cherry and chocolate. It's quite good neat, with an ice cube, as an old fashioned and with cherry cola. I tried them all. This is one for my home bar.
Stephen,
Awesome
Sharif,
Absolutely the most underrated blended scotch out there for the price. You really can't beat the value you get from this blended malt. The heavy first fill olorosso sherry casks make this scotch rich and taste of chocolate covered cherries, orange, and spice. I personally would choose this over Macallan 12 any day.
Jorge,
Didn't think I'd like as much as I did. Can taste the smoke and caramel... beyond that it escapes me. Very tasty, high up on favorites.
Vladislavs,
Good enough for it's price; a bit straight-forward but definitely worth trying
Mike,
Tried this at a scotch 101 tasting and really enjoyed it. Have had a hard time finding in a local store.
JACE,
Hands down the best bottle of Scotch to always have on stock! $40 and the profile is perfectly smooth with nice subtle cherry and sweet notes. Yum!
Brendan,
A small bite initially, but lightens up. Nice with the rocks.