Syndicate 58/6 12 Year Old Scotch Review

By Kurt Maitland

Rating: A

The Scotch Whisky Syndicate’s 58/6 12 Year Old
(Credit: The Scotch Whisky Syndicate)

Syndicate 58/6 has quite the back story. It was founded in 1966 by William Muir and the original blend was distilled in 1954 by Marshall Taplow for their best and important customers.

It is a blend of 18 single malts and 4 single grains and is named after a private and exclusive club in the United Kingdom made up of individuals who appreciate a top quality Scotch Whisky. The members of this club include Members of the House of Lords, High Court Judges and a wide range of leading professionals from throughout the United Kingdom. 58 is the year of the original release and there were 6 founding members of the club (hence Syndicate 58/6).

The quality and consistency of this blend has been maintained by operating a ‘Solera’ system whereby when additional 12 year Old whiskies are ready, they are re-blended with the older stock. In this way, the Syndicate blend still contains small quantities of the original 1958 blended release. The current version is bottled at 43% abv.

The Scotch
Color: Golden Copper

Nose: Currants, Molasses, and Plums

Taste: Bourbon-like sweetness at first blush that settles into a full bouquet of flowers and fruit, with hints of spice and old leather. Water tweaks the sweetness and cuts back on the dryness a bit. The mouthfeel is slightly dry, with a hint of spicy dryness that brings to mind old leather bound cookbooks with spices wafting out.

Finish: Long with swells of fruit and touches of spice that linger.

This is a release that needs to be had by all of those who turn their noses up at a blend. This can go toe to toe with many single malt in the same price range. The Brandy Library thought so much of it that it included it in their 2014 Passport to Great Spirits.

The Price
This should run you around $150 if you can find it. If you can, it is well worth it.