By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

In February, The Whiskey Reviewer looked at the German entrepreneurs GSpirits, who produce what I think might be the ultimate top shelf liquor for high-end “gentlemen’s clubs:” booze splashed over the chests of glamor models. As I observed looking in on drinks forums and Facebook, as many found the idea somewhat icky as found it tantalizing.

Among GSpirits’ offerings is its scotch, G Whisky No. 1, which was poured over two-time international Playmate Alexa Varga. Leaving aside Ms. Varga as an aspect of this whiskey, the question becomes “just how good a tipple is it?” A check through Google, Bing and Yahoo! showed me that it is very possible no one has answered that question as of yet, so now it’s time to find out.

The Whiskey

The folks at G Spirits aren’t telling us where their whiskey comes from, but we do know it is a cask strength single malt 12 Year Old, with an abv of 57.9%. Instead of the usual canister, the bottle comes in a sleek, euro-modern styled black box, with some NSFW pictures of the models inside. That NSFW theme continues onto the bottle, which has a topless picture of Alexa Varga inked onto it. As the general idea of G Whisky No. 1 is a demonstrated turn-off for some, I’m betting that if you have a bottle in your possession, the naughty aspects won’t trouble you.

The one thing I will say about the packaging is that the bottle is extremely classy. The rectangular, clear glass container is a sharp example of modernist design, and topped with a stainless steel stopper. The bottle’s design is at least as eye-catching as the image of Alexa Varga that is inked onto it.

In the glass, G Whisky No. 1 has the color of pale yellow straw, so it’s very scotchy there. The nose was reminicent of apple wine, and had a crisp character with woody undertones. The flavor is sweet with apples and pears, seasoned with vanilla and cookie spice. It’s a little smoky, a little woody, and a little peppery. The pepper aside, it also has a distinctly alcoholic bite if you take it undiluted.

Because of that, I reached for a few drops of water, and I have to say this is the rare example of a whiskey that I think is generally improved by a little dilution. It becomes a little woodier, and therefore the flavors contrast a bit better and the body comes out more, but also becomes smoother at the same time. Without water, I’d give it a “B,” but with a few drops it went up to “B+.”

The finish rolled off of cinnamon and ginger flavors, leaving a lingering, long-lasting warm and spicy afterglow.

This is stuff worth drinking, and I’m now doubly curious as to where GSpirits got it from. Some people won’t be able to get past the NSFW nature of this product, while others will be drawn to it for the same reason. Either way, it makes for quite a nice dram.

The Price

In a word, expensive. A half-liter bottle will set you back €139,00 (about $180).