Grand Old Parr 12 Year
Today’s review is a bit of nostalgia on my part. Back in my nascent days of whisky drinking, one of the first bottles of scotch that I bought was Grand Old Parr 12 Year. I bought it regularly. It was affordable, had attractive packaging, and included an age statement. I was drawn to all those things when I bought my first bottle and enjoyed the contents enough to repeatedly buy more bottles. This was back in the days when I didn’t know the difference between a blended scotch and a single malt scotch—I just knew that I enjoyed Grand Old Parr as much or more than the other inexpensive scotch whiskies I’d tried, be it Johnnie Walker, Glen Moray, Glenlivet, or other similarly priced bottles.
Eventually I learned more about the different types of whisky and fell in love with single malts. I’ve generally left cheap blends behind. But as I get older, I find myself wondering what made me fall in love with scotch whisky to start with and wanting to reconnect with my younger self. So when I noticed a bottle of Grand Old Parr sitting on the shelf at a still very affordable price, I decided to pick one up to see if I’d still enjoy it all these years later.
I loved this dram when I first was getting started with whisky. Would I still love it now, or have I become too much of a whisky snob to enjoy a $30 blend today? Let’s see.
Grand Old Parr 12 Review
Type: Blended Scotch
Region: Scotland
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40%
Nose
Plenty of fresh fruit. Apricot, apple, peach, white grape. Dried tropical fruits. Grainy, with notes of barley and corn. Caramel. Some woodiness. Light but nice. Rather enjoyable, especially for an inexpensive blend. I’ve had expensive single malts that nose worse.
Palate
Lightly fruity, with plenty of caramel. Peach. Apricot. Dried mango. Simple syrup. Just a whiff of peat smoke, barely detectable. A drop of sherry. The flavor is a bit thin, but the mouthfeel is surprisingly oily and creamy, which rescues the palate from boredom.
Finish
Short and sweet. Not much to report here apart from a bit of sweet vanilla syrup and a hint of apricot. Doesn’t stick around.
Overall
For an inexpensive blended whisky, this really isn’t bad. I can see why this was one of my go to’s back in my early days of drinking whisky. It’s certainly light years better than Johnnie Walker Red Label and other such drivel. For that matter, it’s probably still my favorite $35 or less scotch whisky. Probably the closest thing quality-wise to Grand Old Parr is Johnnie Walker Black Label (also a 12 year old whisky), which is a solid whisky for the price. Parr and JW Black are both Diageo products, both under $40 (JW Black is a bit more expensive than Parr), and both enjoyable.
For fun, I did a side-by-side of Grand Old Parr and Johnnie Walker Black. The JW Black is smokier and a bit more interesting on the palate, but the Parr has a better nose and a much better mouthfeel. They’re both good blends for the price, can’t really go wrong with either. Personally, I’d go with Parr.
SCORE: 5/10
Final Thoughts
The nonexistent finish results in a deducted point or two, but this really is a good blend for the price. Remember, 5/10 on my scale is OK. It’s enjoyable neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. Considering this was one of my “gateway” whiskies, I’d say it’s an excellent place to start for people new to scotch whisky. It certainly worked well for me in that capacity.
As far as scotch whiskies under $40 (US), Grand Old Parr 12 Year and Johnnie Walker Black Label are probably the only two I really recommend buying. Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition is OK too I guess, but I’d go for Parr first. Compass Box Great King Street is also nice, but a bit more expensive (and I still like Parr better, personally).
When I first had Parr, I remember thinking it was rather peaty. That was long before I’d ever tried Laphroaig, Ardbeg, or any other heavily peated whisky. Now that I’m accustomed to massive amounts of peat smoke, I don’t find much peat here, but there is a trace of it. Just like spicy food, once you get accustomed to the hot stuff, you can’t even find the heat (or in this case, peat) in something that is only lightly spicy, since you’re used to a much bigger amount.
It’s entirely possible that I’m being nostalgic here and can’t see beyond my whisky drinking past to accurately judge this dram. But I don’t really think so. It had been many years since I’d last had Parr before now, and I honestly was expecting this to be pretty crappy when I bought it, since I like to think that my palate has “matured.” But I like what I like, and I like Grand Old Parr for what it is—a solid and affordable blended scotch whisky.
Buying Advice: If you’re looking for a bottle of scotch with a maximum price of $30-35, then this is one of your best options. Likewise if you’re looking for a whisky to sip in a tumbler filled with ice on a warm summer day, this is a pretty solid choice.
Drink This Not That: If you’re a fan of blended scotch whisky, then you’ll probably enjoy Grand Old Parr. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, also try Johnnie Walker Black Label or Compass Box Great King Street. But actually, I’d go with Parr first.
Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.
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