Cutty Sark Prohibition 50% - 70cl

Bottled at a hefty 50% ABV, Cutty Sark Prohibition takes its name from Captain William McCoy, the rum-runner who smuggled the original Cutty Sark into America during the dry years of the 1920s. His stock was the real thing, never watered, never faked, which is where the phrase "the real McCoy" is said to come from. This is a bolder, higher-strength salute to that story.

Cutty Sark is a blended Scotch, so there is no single distillery or region behind it. Instead it draws on a marriage of Speyside single malts and quality grain whisky, first created in 1923 for a lighter, more approachable style than the heavy blends of the day. The Prohibition edition dials the strength up to 100 US proof, and the extra alcohol carries more weight and grip than the standard bottling without losing the house drinkability.

The nose is warm and generous: ripe citrus, honey and vanilla, with dark raisins, hazelnut and a rounded backbone of baking spice. The palate is creamy and full, all toffee and brown-sugar pecans, cooked raisins edging towards Christmas cake, then a lift of nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. The finish runs medium, a touch drying, with lingering warmth and a whisper of liquorice. At this strength a few drops of water are well worth trying, softening the spice and coaxing out the fruit.

A blend that punches above its price, equally at home in a serious Old Fashioned or poured neat after dinner.

How to Serve

Neat in a Glencairn to start, then a little water to open it up. It also makes a robust, characterful Old Fashioned.

Where to Drink It

Boisdale of Belgravia, for a Scottish welcome and live jazz. Soho Whisky Club, a whisky bar that respects a good blend. Black Rock in Shoreditch, where high-strength drams are the whole point.

Food Pairings

I would pour it alongside a slab of sticky ginger cake, or a wedge of aged Cheddar with quince paste.