Fraiser of Scotland Strawberry Liqueur
I thought it might be fun to look at something a bit different here on whiskyreviews.net. Things get a bit festive at this time of year and there’s something about this drink that just screams out Christmas day to me so this seemed an appropriate time to talk about it.
For the first time ever, I won’t be reviewing whisky, instead I have a bottle of Fraiser of Scotland in front of me, a liqueur made from Blended Scotch Whisky and Wild Strawberries that first caught my attention at a tasting back in January. It later crossed my path for a second time at the Falkirk Whisky Festival in August, at which point I resolved to get my hands on a bottle. That took a bit longer than expected – so much whisky, so little time – but I finally got round to it a few weeks ago, just in time for the holiday season.
Fraiser was created by John Smith, a man with some 35 years in the whisky industry including, most recently, a stint as Head Blender at Glenmorangie. Upon his recent retirement Smith’s interests shifted from working with single malt to creating a new, unique drink experience for new and old whisky drinkers alike – something which he has certainly achieved here.
If anything, Fraiser is so unique and unlike anything else on the market that you wonder quite where it fits in. It seems to do very well and sell in great numbers at Festivals though – and that in itself tells you something. Not many whisky festival attendees set out in the morning expecting to come home with a bottle of strawberry liqueur but believe me, try Fraiser once and you’ll want a bottle.
When I sampled Fraiser on those two occasions in January and August, I tried it both neat and as the key ingredient in a spritzer with Ginger Ale, Ice and Strawberry. While it makes for a very pleasant sipping drink on its own it was the spritzer that really brought it to life and I suspect that is how it will be enjoyed round these parts in future. For the purposes of this review though, I’m tasting neat so as to maintain continuity with my other reviews.
The Scores: About the Scoring…
Smell: 16 / 20. Beautiful Almond and Cherry notes with Vanilla, Honey and Eucalyptus.
Taste: 15 / 20. Glides over the palate like silk and despite being reasonably strong at 27.5% there’s no trace of spirit heat. Vanilla, Strawberry, Caramel and Almond notes.
Value for Money: 9 / 10. I’ll be honest, at first I thought it a little overpriced at £30, given the price of other whisky liqueurs but that’s the thing, Fraiser is nothing like other whisky liqueurs, it’s completely in a world of it’s own and I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed after taking a bottle home.
Overall: 40 / 50. Altogether a lovely wee package that offers even experienced whisky drinkers something completely new and as an added bonus, fits right in at this time of year. Cheers!
