12 February 2009

The Pinch Scotch Whiskey

This one is an anomaly on so many different levels. We found it in my cousin's beer fridge mixed in with a pile of other minis of various liquors. The pinch comes in a diamond shaped bottle which was initially what drew our attention to it. The label indicates it is distilled in Scotland by Haig and Haig and is 12 years old. Having never heard of this particular scotch, we were rather curious as to what it tasted like. Additionally, we could not figure out why this bottle was down a quarter, yet the seal had not been cracked. Would it be a wonderous flavour experience? Or would it be another depressing glass of horrible liquor? Time would tell, and rather quickly.

Chanelle, Robert and I poured what remained in the bottle into three shot glasses. In all, we all sampled what amounted to about a half shot each. As we raised the glasses, the smell was initially what caught us off guard. Chanelle remarked it burned her nostrils and "just smelled so bad!" Robert and I concurred that this stuff simply smelled wrong. We prepared a chaser and tipped back our glasses. As this golden liquid flowed over my palate, I thought this must be what tasting white phosphorous must be like. It burned as you tasted it, burned more as you swallowed it and then set fire to your stomach as it finally sat in your gullet. Robert seriously resisted the urge to spit it over the apartment floor. "This tastes like it smells, and it smells like shit." I personally was amazed how half a shot glass could literally seem like gallons. This truly is Scotland's version of Corporal Punishment. Harsh, nasty and unrelenting. A word of caution: 15 minutes afterwards I belched and could still taste The Pinch. The verdict? In a pinch, choose to drink something else.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe you could put a wick in it and use it as a nice table lamp. It would look all romantic and stuff when you make spaghetti for the Lady. Or.....it could explode when you light it, glass shards everywhere, hair and eyebrows on fire, potential blindness....yeah, that would be a real mood downer. Maybe you and Brian should just make a molotov cocktail out of it and throw it at a brick wall, see what happens, and fun had by all!

Anonymous said...

Don't judge the pinch based on this bottle. Obviously, something had gone horribly horribly wrong.
Normally, Dimple/Pinch is the best blended scotch out there, by a long shot, and a great bargain as well.

Anonymous said...

One summer I worked with an old man who liked tickling his young co-workers. At the end of the season he brought a bottle of this stuff to work and we each sampled it in his truck with our lunch-break meals of Wendy's. I don't recall a taste similar to white phosphorus, but I was probably too entranced by his musk to notice.

A+ Scotch.

Anonymous said...

Pinch is s great blended scotch.
In fact it was ranked forth favourit blended scotch in the entire world.
If the bottle you drank only had 3 shots left in it and the seal was not cracked... you are at fault as it is obviosly BAD.
You three must be the new version of the 3 stooges to even drink spoiled Scotch as MOST people do not even drink corked wine..

Really......

Anonymous said...

hey i have a bottle of the same pinch that i got when my uncle passed and i havent opened it yet but i can tell u that something is wrong with that bottle because my bottle is completely full, yours shouldnt have been 3/4's.

PBW said...

coppan1959. I rarely go to a bar but was at loose ends. Asked for some Pinch and soda. It tasted like fusel oil --- it was! Asked bar tender what was up. He noted his mistake and poured anoththe drink --- but first shook up the bottle of Pinch. He apoliged and said that he rarely poured this bottle and that the fusil oil had migrated to the top. This seems to be the reason all experienced bar tenders always shake a bottle of whisky before pouring and espectially when it has been sitting for a while. PBW

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

The rating commentary by the author is totally outlandish and was posted by someone who has never drank Haig & Haig's Pinch Scotch Whiskey. Pinch is a single malt, blended scotch and has a very distinct flowery to nutty taste. It is a sipping whiskey. It does not burn when consumed and most certainly does not leave a 12 hour after taste.

One poster even mentioned buying Pinch at a bar. I would like to know what this person paid for an ounce of Pinch Scotch at a bar? Only high end if not private clubs could purchase Haig & Haig Pinch Scotch Whiskey because it was on a reserve order list for many years.

For many years Haig and Haig Pinch was on a reserve list of five years or longer where only preferred costumers of the high end list could buy it. It has, for many years, been ear marked as the best blended scotch whiskey in the world.

Thankfully, it is once again offered to the general public at selected outlets.

Don't always believe the trolls who post just for the sake of seeing their name in print or seeing their antics of running something down on the net.

sifu Pierre-Luc said...

My father have a nice collection of old bottle, I taste the bottle of Pinch 12 year old blended whisky, he told me that he receided it from a client in 1970... I did taste it for the first time in the 90' but a was too young then, and found it only harsh in alcohol!! I did taste different scotch for the last 10 years and did taste the Pinch again last weekend, got a oak flavor first, with a flowery palette, a little of cinnamon, but still finish with a harsh of alcohol at the end. Told myself it was maybe the fact he have that bottle since 42 years.. but really strong for a 40% bottle!!

Anonymous said...

Having tasted it last night, I can only say that it's quaffable but not desirable - especially when there are much better blends in Scotland.
There's not much to nose that I can recall. And the palate lacks sophistication - comparable to Grant's, except there is even less going on. The lower abv is definitely evident here, making this one a bland watery dram. Factor in the excessive price, and this blend is to be avoided. If you do happen upon it, reserve for cocktail making.

Liquor Pig said...

> Pinch is a single malt, blended
> scotch and has a very distinct
> flowery to nutty taste.

If you knew a single thing about scotch, you would know there is no such thing as a "single malt, blended scotch". Scotch is either, single malt, vatted or blended, but not a combination. Single malt refers to a scotch from a single malting that has been unadulterated with anything but water (to reduce it from cask strength). Vatted scotch is a blend of sigle malts of different characters to create a drink with characteristics of different scotches. Blended scotch (like the Pinch) is the cheapest quality of the three and is generally made from a mixture single malts, vatted malts and grain alcohol.

Next time, learn something about the subject being discussed to avoid sounding like an uneducated dillwad. -LP

jade said...

Then you have to bring them together in perfect harmony and only then is your job done. So for me, brandy investment

Anonymous said...

i have an unopened bottle of pinch - looks like one of the earlier ones- distilled in scotland, bottled in UK imported by renfield importers in new jersey ..stamped by the dept of ohio liquor control.... should i open it and drink it or save it til I'm poor . anyone know of its value? thanks