Glenglassaugh 32yo from Villa Konthor
During the recent whisky boom a lot of new whisky distilleries (mostly very small) popped up all over Scotland. Glenglassaugh is one of the newer names on the scene, although it’s not exactly a new distillery. Their history dates back to 1875, and in the years up to the mothballing in 1986 (they were one of the last distilleries affected by the whisky crisis in the eighties) most of their whisky was used for blending. According to the website Malt Madness there used to be only four (semi-official) bottlings from Glenglassaugh.
All that has changed since the Speyside-distillery was revived in 2008 by the Scaent Group. The first whisky released using the spirit from the new Glenglassaugh era was the Revival, in my eyes a more than decent whisky, especially considering the age of only three years. Glenglassaugh changed owners again just last year, when Benriach acquired the Banffshire-based distillery. The fact that Benriach was willing to invest in Glenglassaugh is a good sign, since their other two distilleries (Benriach and Glendronach) have quickly become greatly appreciated among whisky enthusiasts. I’m very curious to see what Glenglassaugh spirit evolves into after ten or twelve years.
Since we’ll have to wait another five or six years before that happens, here is an old era Glenglassaugh from 1978.
Glenglassaugh 1978/2010 (46,2%, Villa Konthor)
Nose: First thought that pops up, is this Clynelish, but then fruitier? There are white grapes, apple, lemon and coconut shavings. They pair with a malty freshness that really does it for me. Vanilla is also present. Maybe it’s a bit spirity, but in a good way. Adding water is not a good idea though, since it flattens the lovely nose. It’s also not really necessary, because this one already has a relatively low alcohol percentage.
Taste: Thick and oily. A bit zesty with lemon, citrus and a minty quality. After a while it gets more dry and woody, bitter oranges come to mind.
Finish: Long and warm, oranges and oak.
Rating: 90
There are some very mixed reviews of this whisky out there, ranging from decent to very good. I’m surely in the latter category. This is a lovely complex whisky chock full of fruity flavours.
Sample and picture via rarewhiskysite.com
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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