There are some hints that I’ve learned that the whiskey you are about to try is most likely going to be terrible. For example, being packaged in a plastic bottle. Having the word “club” in the brand name. Being a “blended whiskey”, especially when the vast and overwhelming majority of that is from what they only describe as “grain whiskey”. And oh brother, this bottle hits all of those alarm bells. Which makes it perfect for our annual spooky season trip through the bottom shelf of the local liquor store.
History
It seems like the company behind this particular whiskey has gone to some lengths to try and disguise who actually owns and produces it, so I had to track it down through the trademark filings. From what I can tell, this trademark is owned by Sazerac — AKA the same people responsible for last year’s spooky season entrant Highland Mist.
The Sazerac Company was founded in 1869, named after a bar they acquired in New Orleans, the Sazerac Coffee House. Following the establishment of the company, they started marketing and distributing brands of liquor under their name.
Sazerac maintains its headquarters in New Orleans, but has distilleries in other locations (including Kentucky). They produce liquor under various brand names, despite the lack of the Sazerac name anywhere on the bottle.
Product
This seems like an exercise by the manufacturer to see how lazy they can get with the definition of a “whiskey” before the government actually gets cranky enough with them to do something about it.
Typically, a whiskey is a spirit that is distilled from grains and then aged in charred oak barrels for a period of time. And some of that seems to be in here… but the vast majority of this spirit — 80% — is something that is described as a “grain neutral spirit”.
What does that mean? Practically speaking: vodka. This is whiskey flavored vodka.
So, very likely what we have here is something that uses a tiny hint of actual whiskey (of a questionable quality) that is then mixed in a 1:4 ratio with vodka to produce the liquid we see here today. The claim on the bottle is that the whiskey is aged for three years, but there’s little to no detail about whether that’s related to the concoction prior to blending or following blending.
Even more annoying: we don’t even know where this comes from. The bottle claims that it is blended and bottled in Maryland, but there’s no ink spared to tell us where the actual source of these spirits are. They were simply trucked in from parts unknown, mixed together like a mad science experiment, and then bottled for sale.
Packaging
Like I said, this has all of the red flags.
Starting with the bottle, this is something I’d expect from a vegetable oil container instead of a whiskey bottle. The bottle itself is plastic and cheap, sporting a cylindrical body, sharply tapered shoulder, and a medium length neck. There’s some light knurling on the shoulder which is visually interesting, but doesn’t trick you into thinking that this is a fancier bottle than you might expect.
Moving on to the labeling, the first thing to note is that the label is barely attached. It feels like they used the smallest amount of glue possible to keep this thing on the package, and as a result it’s coming up around the edges. The wrapper around the neck of the bottle isn’t even tacked down and actually sticks up a bit.
On that label, there are some visually nice things. I like the metallic gold color on the edges and the faded map background, and the idea of having a brand based on flavors from someone’s travels is interesting. But that’s all hinted at and suggested, and generally kept intentionally vague.
Neat
This looks good in the glass, with a nice light amber color — but looks can be deceiving. The aromas coming off this glass are suspiciously artificial, with sweet caramel and vanilla leading the way. From there, it takes on more of a processed Werther’s Originals aroma with industrial alcohol near the end.
My first reaction to taking a sip was that this actually wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever tired. There are some decent flavors here, specifically the caramel and vanilla from that whiskey and even a bit of baking spices. As the flavor develops, it becomes something closer to a Scottish malt whiskey, with some apricot and honey notes combined with malty sourdough bread flavors.
The bad part is the finish: there’s a decidedly rubber-like flavor on the finish that keeps it from being a good experience and leaves almost an oily residue behind.
On Ice
There were some decent flavors when taken neat. They weren’t the best flavors, but they weren’t awful. Once the ice goes into the glass, though, all of those flavors seem to have decided to play hide and seek — and I really don’t feel like seeking.
All that’s left is some artificial caramel and the rubber-like aftertaste. That’s it. Any nuance or lighter component is completely eliminated. It’s like if you really watered down a glass of Kentucky Deluxe.
I’ll just note that this is the typical downfall of a blended whiskey. Even in the Scottish tradition, the aromas and the flavors tend to be pretty good when taken neat but fall apart once some ice goes into the glass. It’s just more pronounced here because, frankly, this is a bottle of vodka dressed up like a whiskey for Halloween.
Cocktail (Old Fashioned)
There’s nothing here for the bitters to work with. Any flavors that might have been present have been completely overpowered and weeded out, and what we’re left with is just a glass of angostura bitters with a tiny hint of vanilla. It’s not the worst cocktail in the world, but it’s passable at best and if you don’t like bitters then you really won’t be happy with it.
I don’t even know how you would rescue this. There’s just not enough flavor in the underlying spirit to make anything work — you basically need to start from scratch and re-construct the entire cocktail. And at that point, you should probably buy a different whiskey and start there.
Adding insult to injury, that industrial and artificial rubber-like flavor is still on the finish. It’s not ideal.
Fizz (Mule)
Imagine if you were having a Moscow mule — a really nice one, with a good vodka and some fresh lime juice — and someone slaps you with a crusty rubber sandal that they’ve been wearing all day. That’s pretty much the experience I’m getting here.
Generally speaking, this cocktail works like a Moscow mule because it’s essentially vodka with some light drizzle of whiskey thrown in. All those components are fine and make sense. But on the finish, that rubbery note returns and absolutely ruins what little enjoyment I was still getting from the drink.
I just can’t find any positive things to say about this.
Overall Rating
Let me start by putting this in context: this is one of the five least expensive bottles of whiskey that I have ever reviewed to date. The only things cheaper are fine examples like Kentucky Deluxe. That price point doesn’t come with very high expectations, so really all I’m looking for are faults. And in this case, that rubbery flavor on the finish is what’s keeping this from getting the three star “average” rating.
I can forgive the fact that this is basically a vodka that’s had a bourbon wafted in its general direction — that’s par for the course down here on the lower end of the ledger. I’m not looking for the benefits but instead looking to make sure it isn’t a net negative impact on my evening. And this one unfortunately was a drag on the night.
I wish this Traveler’s Club whiskey safe travels as it explores the depths of my sink’s plumbing.
| Traveler's Club Blended Whiskey Production Location: United States Classification: Blended Whiskey Aging: 3 Years Proof: 40% ABV Price: $6.95 / 750 ml   |
Overall Rating: 2/5
The bare minimum flavors to be considered a whiskey, but with some added rubber-like notes that make this less than enjoyable.