The Hive 8 YO (Wemyss Malts)

The Hive 8 YO, 40 %

The Hive 8 YO (Wemyss Malts)

Today I am putting the blended malt The Hive 8 YO from Wemyss Malts to the test. This is the 'honeyed' blended malt from Wemyss Malts, and you can get it both as an 8 YO, a 12 YO and more recently as a NAS (No Age Statement). This independent bottler also has a spicy blended malt (Spice King 8 YO, 12 YO and NAS) and a peated one (Peat Chimney 8 YO, 12 YO and NAS).

The Hive uses a signature malt from Speyside, giving citrus and honeyed top notes, they say. A total of 16 different malt whiskies are used in the vatting.

You can buy The Hive 8 YO in Norway at NOK 610 (1593601), and online in the UK at around GBP 29. It appears this whisky is not currently available to buy in Sweden.

Nose (21/25): Malty and honeyed, so right on the money there. Rich sweetness. I would say closer to a rich heather-like honey, rather than a floral and perfumed one. Mild fruitiness. Soft spices and a bit like a forest in the springtime, right after a light shower of rain. On second thought, we might not be walking through a forest, but rather through a grove of orange trees.

Taste (20/25): More spicy than on the nose. A bit oaky, lots of cinnamon and nutmeg. Ginger. Slightly burnt caramel. Bitter oranges. And there, after a bit of a wait, I do detect some honey.

Finish (20/25): Dries off a bit towards the end, with mainly spices and oak left. What sweetness is left is more like chocolate - milk chocolate. Quite mild, and of medium length.

Balance (20/25): An OK dram, best served with afternoon tea, perhaps.

Score (81/100)

Image from Master of Malt.

Sláinte! - Thomas