Highland

Glen Garioch 31 Year Old Angus Thanes Series Macbeth Act One
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

54.6% ABV
$930-$1,000
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What the Retailer Says

One of 12 noble malts chosen to represent the Thanes in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth. This vatting of four first-fill bourbon barrels is a fantastic example of rich, weighty 1990s Glen Garioch. More than three decades in American oak has created a concentrated and full-bodied dram with satisfying notes of panettone, candied peel, and banana.

The whiskies for this series were chosen by Elixir Distillers based on character profiles created by spirits writer Dave Broom. Each bottling features artwork from celebrated illustrator Sir Quentin Blake.

Tasting Notes (courtesy of Joe Rogers, The Whisky Exchange)
Nose: Candied peel, white grapes and kiwis. After those fruity notes comes a much richer side with panettone, dried apricots and golden syrup
Palate: More green fruit, then bananas, cough candy and barley sugars. It’s nicely fat and oily in texture with oat cakes, nutmeg, wildflowers and dry chalky white wines
Finish: Long and stony with a lingering fruitiness
Comment: Brilliantly textural with lots of character. A very enjoyable dram

What Gary Says

Nose:  Light, floral, subtle fruit with peaches, pears and baked apples, honey, heather and a bit of nylon rope.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, honey, vanilla, orange marmalade with peaches, cinnamon and building pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with fruit spice.
Comments:  This is a quite nice dram, and an interesting concept (as a fan of The Bard, I’m curious about the selection but these are mostly priced outside of my reach; thanks to Richard for providing a sample as he graciously does so often!). Very gentle and tasty; a bit of water brings out a bit of smoked pork on the nose, and mutes that pepper spice build on the palate.

Rating: Stands Out

Clynelish 1995 26 Year Old 50th Anniversary
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
The Whisky Exchange Exclusive

51.5% ABV
$475-$500
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What the Retailer Says

A specially selected 26-year-old Clynelish, distilled in 1995 and bottled for the 50th anniversary of The Whisky Exchange’s co-founders’ family starting in the drinks industry. This was bottled from a pair of casks – a refill sherry butt and a hogshead – and brings together the best of both of those styles of Clynelish whisky: rich and fruity, and fresh and fruity, all-wrapped in the distillery’s classic waxy character.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Toffee apples, raisin-studded shortbread and candied citrus peel at first. The fruit intensifies, backed up by gummi bears, buttered apples, white-wine-poached pears and traditional Clynelish waxed-jacket notes. Hints of sweet butter poke out in between the fruit, with milk and white chocolate hiding behind.
Palate: Royal icing and sugar-coated almonds fade beneath mint fondant and the fruit from the nose – fresh orchard fruit, gummi sweets, zingy citrus and some sweet pineapple. Gently drying apple skin notes develop alongside a touch of menthol.
Finish: Mint and green grass are joined by milk chocolate. Green apples linger.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich but delicate, fruity with pears, apples and apricots, heather, pineapple, mango, tahini and melted wax.
Palate:  Thick and cream mouthfeel, waxy with fruit notes before a sharp bit of pepper spice, lemon and pinepple.
Finish:  Moderately long and syrupy with fruit salad, sandalwood and tahini.
Comments:  Classic Clynelish waxy notes. As with many mature whiskies, this benefits from time in the glass (some say a minute for every year; I’m not that patient but a good 10-12 minutes definitely made a difference). A very nice dram to sit back and sip on. While I enjoyed it, the nose advertised a complexity and nuance that I didn’t get on the palate (although could just be me). The palate turned sharp before all of the fruit notes stepped forward, although the tahini note is one I don’t come across often and I did enjoy here.

Rating: Stands Out

Oban 18 Year Old
West Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

43% ABV
$120-$140
Website

What the Distillery Says

An elegantly matured single malt that balances opulent fruit flavours with rich peat smoke and spicy wood, culminating in a long, smooth, finish.

PALATE: Mouth-filling sweetness tempered with smoked malt dryness.
SCENT: Peat smoke and spicy wood with notes of ripe banana, pear, and plum.
FINISH: Long and sweet. Hints of dark chocolate and salted caramel.
BODY: Medium bodied and rich with good legs.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Fruit salad with poached pears, apples, apricots, nectarines, heather, wisp of earthiness, sandalwood and leather.
Palate:  Sweet entry with fruit notes, honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper spice followed by peat and soft oak.
Finish:  Moderately long and drying with peat, dried fruit and pepper.
Comments:  A very nice and enjoyable pour! Fruity, balanced with a bit more peat on the palate than on the nose. At $120 locally, a quite reasonably priced aged single malt although not sure I’d spend a lot more than that. Water thickens it a bit and tamps some of the pepper spice edge.

Rating: Stands Out