Glen Elgin 12 Years Old (2019)
Glen Elgin is about as anonymous of a distillery as they come. Elgin is a midsize town on the Northern border of the Speyside region, but Glen Moray is easily the more recognisable name. To be fair, Glen Elgin isn’t even situated in the town of Elgin, but rather in the small hamlett of Fogwatt. BenRiach and Longmorn are actually much closer to Elgin. Glen Fogwatt might be a more honest name, but that just sounds a bit yuck.
Anyway, you might find the odd independent bottling of Glen Elgin on the shelves of your local, but outside of that, the distillery only has one expression regularly available, its 12-year-old.
Glen Elgin 12 Years Old (43%, OB, 2019)
Nose: Notes of caramel and marzipan at first, with a hint of cinnamon as well. A touch of red berries and forest fruits as well. Gentle and friendly stuff.
Taste: A sweet initial taste (fudge) with a fairly rich mouthfeel, followed by a spicy arrival (nutmeg, pepper, cardamom) and a whiff of burnt caramel.
Finish: Short to medium in length. Lingering spices. A touch of oak and a faint grassiness.
Score: 79
Perfectly adequate and a quality-level that fits the price. I can’t imagine this’ll disappoint many.
Photo: The Whisky Exchange
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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