Glen Elgin 16yo (2008)
This’ll be the first time I post notes on a whisky from Glen Elgin distillery. Which isn’t that surprising if you consider that the official 12yo is the only affordable and readily available Glen Elgin out there. And although they are not super rare, you don’t see that many independent bottlings of Glen Elgin either.
Back in 2008 Diageo decided to release a limited edition 16 year old Glen Elgin at cask strength, of which almost 10.000 bottles were released. It’s not often Diageo releases limited editions outside of their annual Special Releases.
Glen Elgin 16yo (58,5%, OB, 9954 bts.)
Nose: Not super expressive at first, but becomes more so with time. Sweet and syrupy with raisins and caramelized oranges. A layer of mint and star anise behind all that. And then touches of freshly cut, wet grass and that lovely smell of a dunnage warehouse (whisky casks and that earthy floor). Excellent, not much to fault here.
Taste: More earthy flavors here, with the sweetness taking a back seat, although caramel and honey are undeniably present. Wet leaves, mushrooms. A touch of cough syrup and a whiff of smoke. Bit on the alcoholic side (hot and prickly), but the abv is rather high. Don’t hesitate to add some water.
Finish: Sweet at first, but gets oakier. I get the feel there might be some whisky in here much older than sweet sixteen.
Rating: 88
Highly enjoyable. I wish Diageo would release more cask strength limited editions like this one. Provided they are affordable of course 🙂 You can still find it over here, at a pretty decent price.
Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.
I remember trying that a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed it and thought to buy it. Somehow, that never happened. Thanks for reminding me!
I’m happy to own a bottle. Bit of a gamble when I bought it, but it worked out 🙂