July 16, 2010 (BONUS REVIEW) — House of Stuart Blended Scotch
Okay campers, this one doesn’t count for my daily update, but I really had to let people know about it. Like, really really.
Through all the drinks I’ve made, all the liquors I’ve tried, all the beer and wine I’ve sipped, I will forever be a scotch drinker. Now, there’s no doubt that single-malt scotches truly are the most delicious versions out there. I mean, for pure, balls-to-the-wall awesomeness, a 15 year old single malt is the one you want to go for. Now, you’re looking at a $75 to $100 bottle of scotch mind you.
Unfairly maligned, in my opinion, are the blended scotches. They’re cheaper, because they’ve been brought together from different batches, with different years. Some come from the various regions of Scotland as well, which means you’re going to have more variation from bottle to bottle as opposed to a single malt.
They also tend to have a stronger burn on the end of them. The gold standard for blended scotches is, of course, my good man Johnnie Walker. Now, I am a massive Johnnie Walker fan. Since I can’t afford single malts on a regular basis, I will usually pick up a Johnnie Walker Black Label for general sipping purposes. I’ve also heard great things about Famous Grouse. Even then, those guys are going to run you in the $35 to $40 range. Not exactly cheap.
But there are times — especially with this blog — when I need to stock up on other ingredients. I don’t even have the ducats for a bottle of my man Johnnie. With this conundrum in mind, I sat (okay, stood. Sitting is a pretty homeless thing to do in a liquor store) in my usual local liquor store staring at the scotches, debating how I was going to stock the liquor cabinet.
And then, like a shining beacon of light, the manager swung by me and offered up some advice. Some scotch snobs had recommended a little bottle called The House of Stuart. It was a bended whiskey. It was $10. I raised my eyebrows. Ten? For scotch. That couldn’t be right. It had to be some kind of trick. Or rot gut stuff that was going to completely eat away at my stomach lining slowly but surely.
Despite my raised eyebrows and reluctance, I was reassured several times. At least one of the scotch snobs who frequented the store (who I happened to be friends with) was actually a big fan. Now, I wasn’t supposed to expect this to be on the same level as a single malt. Of course not. But, I was assured that for a $10 scotch, it was actually quite amazing.
Still wary, I ponied up and bought it. So, tonight, I busted it out. And it was…
Delicious. Again, you have to have lowered expectations. If this were a $50 scotch, I’d say it’s mediocre. But, for a $10 scotch? It’s flipping phenomenal. It doesn’t have strong of a burn on the end, and there’s a great smokey flavor. I am way floored. I mean really. Seriously? Ten? Dollars? And it’s this good. Thank you, Comanche Beverage Outlet. Thank you.
Cheers!
— Mark
Cocktails, 365 
house of stuart is awful
if ya need cheap scotch go with INVER HOUSE GREEN PLAID its much better
try mixing with dr pepper
That’s on our list for upcoming featured budget boozes.
Thanks for the tip!
Excellent Scotch. I didn’t find it until my senior year of college on the bottom shelf with dust on the bottle. It was $6.99 and only $10.99 for a handle. On low budgets my roommates and I bought it. We loved it, and been buying it ever since. The liquor that carried Stuarts actually raised the price $2.00 because of how many bottles they sold in a couple months. Basically it was only us buying the product no one drank it. Stuarts still has a front row seat on my liquor shelf, and is one of my go to drinks.
Mixing scotch with Dr. Pepper? That’s like a man buying a drink with an umbrella in it, you don’t deserve a drink.
Years ago I was told that CuttySark was shipped to the US in barrels and bottled under the House of Stuart label?
Does anyone have any info to support that claim?
I ran out of charcoal lighter and used this scotch to light the coals.Worked great and had a nice buzz also…great scotch for the money .
This is a good everyday scotch! To a couple commenters on here first why even drink scotch if you’re going to mix it with Dr. Pepper?? Pure silliness! This can’t be the same as Cutty Sark because Cutty Sark stuffs up my nose and this doesn’t. Don’t get me wrong I like Inver House Green Plaid but I think this is equal or better. Yo he person lighting charcoals with his scotch please go buy a Weber chimney and save your scotch for sipping!
For what its worth, here is a true story.
Several years back my next door neighbor was a 100% Cutty Sark drinker. I served him House of Stuart once and he boasted that Cutty Sark was the only true sctch on the narket. I bought a botle of Cutty and drank it all myself and saved the bottle. I bought a bottle of House of Stuart and poured it into the empty Cutty bottle and invited my unsuspecting neighbor ovwer for a drink of his preferred Cutty scotch. He again raved about Cutty while actually drinking House of Stuart. I was told that Cutty was shipped to the US in barrels and that House of Stuart was bottled from some of those barrels. Can anyone verify the acuracy of this calim.
My neighbor was very happy thinking he was drinking Cutty while in reality he was drinking House of Stuart.