Glen Garioch 1995/2012
I’ve been out for a wee bit, but I return with a cracker of a dram. It’s one of those whiskies that for me, really puts this distillery on the map. It’s the 1995 vintage from Glen Garioch, one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. They’ve been founded in 1797, which makes it one of the few remaining from the 1700’s. Some nice to know info, but there’s really no need for me to repeat what you can also find on the excellent Malt Madness-website. If you want to know more about this particular whisky, please keep on reading.
Glen Garioch 1995/2012 (55,3%, OB, 1st fill bourbon, 6000 bts)
Nose: Give this whisky time to open up, you’ll be rewarded. Because at first it’s way too sharp. There’s a lovely malt aroma surrounded by tropical fruit, a lot of orange and a bit of chocolate. It also has a soapy quality, which strangely enough is actually pleasant.
Taste: Very syrupy, almost waxy. A warm mouthfeel and plenty of spices like mint and aniseed. The bourbon casks have been very active. A sweet taste to go with the orange that was already very prominent in the nose.
Finish: Bitter and dry, with mandarin. And if you wait long enough, a very faint cherry note starts to develop.
Rating: 88
I tasted this blind and compared it to an Imperial, but many people were thinking of Littlemill. That might give you some indication as to what this should taste like. This is a limited release of 6.000 bottles, so there won’t be many of them left. But if you do stumble upon one, don’t hesitate. It should cost around 70 euros, which is really good value for money.
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.
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