Review: James Eadie’s Trade Mark “X” Blended Scotch Whisky
Review: James Eadie’s Trade Mark “X” Blended Scotch Whisky
Scotland has no shortage of lost brands and silent stills, and it’s always fun when one re-emerges. The latest is James Eadie, a self-styled “ancient Scotch mixture” (read: blended Scotch) that is returning to the market after 70 years.
James Eadie’s Trade Mark “X” first retailed in 1854 and was trademarked 1877. Today’s expression includes stock from the silent stills of Cambus and Littlemill, among others. If you’d like to more, check out “The Spirit of James Eadie” on YouTube, which tells the story of the revival of Trade Mark “X.”
We got a small sample to play with. Let’s check it out.
The nose is unremarkable, heavy with granary notes, some light peat, and creosote, but also a somewhat green, weedy character. The palate shows more promise, with a sharp lemon and orange citrus note giving way to a more savory cereal note, some hints of honey, and a moderate spice element — cloves and some nutmeg. The finish is on the heavy side, but reasonably clean, with sweet cereal notes enduring alongside some of that sharper, grassy note.
While its charms grow with some air and some time, all told it ends up as a rather typical example of a lightly peated blended Scotch whisky. Nothing wrong with that of course, and it’s definitely worth a sip or two, should you come across it in your whisky adventures, just to see whether the X marks the spot.
90.2 proof.
B / $52 / jameseadie.co.uk
James Eadie's Trade Mark "X" Blended Scotch Whisky
$52
