Logan De Luxe Scotch Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: C+

Among the Scotches that are nearly omnipresent on the bar, store and restaurant shelves in Portugal and Spain is the Logan De Luxe 12 Year Old blend. For years now the questions of just what that Logan stuff is and what it’s like have lurked in the back of my mind, and finally I decided to settle in and find out the answers.

Logan 12 Year Old is a product of White Horse Distillers of Edinburgh, producers of the noted White Horse blend that has been around in one form or another since the 1860s. That company is, in turn, owned by Diageo. That puts Logan in the same basic group as Dimple, and I often see the two sharing shelf space together. It reportedly draws on Lagavulin, Glen Elgin and Craigellachie for its malt whisky, but little official information is published about Logan De Luxe, so put that in the rumor file.

The Scotch
Despite the ornate decanter-styled bottle, Logan is a fairly typical example of a slightly upscale blended whisky, and as such it is bottled at 40% abv. Given that, I wonder if any caramel was added, because the appearance is a very un-Scotchy light amber, sitting in the place where gold meets copper.

The nose is one of cinnamon and ginger underlaid by a touch of wet (wet, not dry) wood and sea spray. Think of being in the hold of a spice ship in heavy seas, and you have the idea. The flavor follows in that vein, offering up woody and spicy flavors in a light, silky texture. The finish is lightly peppered and carries a just as light afterglow, with an almost feathery warmth.

All in all, it’s not bad and makes for a decent alternative to a raft of big name brand 12 year old blends.

The Price
I often see this Scotch priced at €20 ($25) per 70 cl bottle