Stands Out

Glenrothes 1998

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Glenrothes Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled in 1998, Bottled in 2010
43% ABV
$80
Website

What the Distillery Says
The Vintage 1998 is the next Core Vintage to follow the Vintage 1991 and 1994. It is the first of the vintages that we have bottled that was expressly laid down at origin to be bottled as Glenrothes on maturity and as such has a greater availability of stock than any of the previous bottlings.

This is also Gordon Motion’s first bottling as Malt Master and he describes it as: “It’s said that pictures speak a thousand words and this is like Carmen Miranda’s hat in a bottle. Tropical fruits lead with pineapple and mango developing into sweet bananas, coconut and classic Glenrothes vanilla pods.”

Appearance: Medium golden, clear and bright
Bouquet: Rich, spicy vanilla, golden syrup and lemongrass
Palate: Soft, mature, sweet vanilla with a hint of cinnamon
Finish: Smooth, long, rich vanilla

What Richard Says
Nose: The nose mixes sherry, citrus pith, malted cereals, and ginger syrup.
Palate: Vanilla and cinnamon forward with notes of vanilla pudding, cinnamon rolls, Bananas Foster, and yellow cake batter.
Finish: Dry, almost arid.
Comments: What a great dessert scotch. Not with dessert but rather for dessert. There are so many layers of sweetness here. Unfortunately, that makes this vintage a bit of a one trick pony. Not bad at all but it lacks depth.
Rating: Stands Out

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Glenrothes Select Reserve

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Glenrothes Select Reserve Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
40% ABV
$45
Website

What the Distillery Says
John Ramsay, our Malt Master, has crafted a selection of The Glenrothes which typifies the distillery house character – ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and hints of spice.

The Select Reserve is a first for us. A non-Vintage-specific selection carefully chosen by John and produced to the same high quality standards as The Glenrothes Vintage selections; only here we select and vat from casks from different years.

Appearance: Pale golden
Bouquet: American oak, vanilla and coconut, hint of plums/p>
Palate: Full malty flavour, medium sweet, vanilla and orange zest
Finish: Long and slightly spicy

Produced to the same exacting quality standards as the Vintages, Select Reserve is a vatting of casks distilled in different years.

It has been crafted to typify all that is The Glenrothes in its early prime. What we call the ‘House Style’. Laden with ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and hints of spice, the Select Reserve is the essence, the very heart of The Glenrothes range in terms of taste and flavour. From this expression all other Vintages are born.

What Richard Says
Nose: Light vanilla and malty oak.
Palate: A lovely, silky sweetness of orange blossom honey and dried fruit.
Finish: Lingering with doses of black pepper and more malty oak.
Comments: This introduction to Glenrothes in their “house style” focuses around cereal grains and vanilla/fruit sweetness. Not a game changer by any means but it’s pleasant, easy to drink and won’t break the bank. If you want to mix up your malt rotation then give it a try.
Rating: Stands Out

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Glengoyne 15 Year

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Matured 15 Years
43% ABV
$65-$75
Website

What the Distillery Says
The depth and sweetness of dried fruit
Complex depths and bright tropical notes – with a spicy oak finish. Hints of candied lemon and pineapple reveal the influence of first-fill bourbon casks, balanced by the rich intensity of our signature sherry wood.

What Richard Says
Nose: Rich, meaty, and sherry forward.
Palate: Stewed dark fruits and raisins with a deep nutty framework.
Finish: A nice balance of peppery heat and solid oak with a lingering sherry backbone. When all else fades a sprinkling of cocoa powder remains.
Comments: Of many “double wood” single malts blending sherry and bourbon wood that I’ve tried, this Glengoyne stands out with more robust strength and backbone than similar whiskies. The nose and palate are very enjoyable but the lingering finish keeps me coming back.
Rating: Stands Out

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Glengoyne 10 Year

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky Matured 10 Years
40% ABV
$43
Website

What the Distillery Says
Smooth, fruity and incredibly moreish. Fresh green apples, toffee and a hint of nuttiness. This is the taste of distilling slower than anyone else in Scotland, of barley we dry by air – never peat – and of hand-selected sherry casks crafted from European and American oak.

What Richard Says
Nose: Malty and crisp with notes of fresh apples, leather, and malted barely.
Palate: Green apple sweetness.
Finish: Short and clean with a hint of nutmeg.
Comments: The 10 year old is by no means an exemplary bottle of Glengoyne but it is a very enjoyable malt none the less. It offers a very good sub-$50 alternative when you go to the liquor store seeking Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, or Glenmorangie.
Rating: Stand Out

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Lot 40 – 2012

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review / ,

Lot No. 40 Copper Pot Still Canadian Whisky (2012 version)
43 % ABV
$40
Website

What the Distillery Says
Lot No. 40 is expertly distilled in small batches using only the finest locally sourced ingredients. By distilling in a single copper pot still, the result is a whisky that starts off earthy and woody tasting and then becomes full bodied and complex with a velvety vanilla oak finish.

What Gary Says
Nose: Sweet, malty, dried grass/hay, bright with subtle sweetness and dark druit, hint of toasted marshmallow and maple syrup (and could be my imagination, but beer?).
Palate: Sweet entry with a silky mouthfeel, soft, smooth, subtle grapefruit (without the acid bite) and a malty note.
Finish: Short and forgettable, drying, bit of citrus at the end.
Comments: The first taste of this, I did a blind side-by-side against the dusty 1990s version of Lot 40. I found them considerably different (even asked my wife, who isn’t a whiskey drinker, if she thought they smelled similar; she didn’t). Calling that out only because if you’ve had the older version and are expecting this to be a new release of the same thing – don’t. I’ve read other reviews that found them to be similar, so could just be me – but while there is a faint familial string between them; I wouldn’t confuse them for one another on a bad day. That aside, this is an interesting whisky. I’m not a beer drinker, but each time I tried this – that is what triggered in my brain: Beer (not that the whiskey itself tastes LIKE beer, but something on the nose and palate have faint ties to beer that I can’t quite explain). While I don’t like beer, it wasn’t a negative note – just odd (as I can’t recall getting that from another whiskey – at least any North American’s whiskey!) For the price, unless you’re really into funky ryes, I’d definitely look to try it before you buy it.
Rating: Stands Out

What Richard Says
Nose: Malty with a heavy creamy vanilla sweetness. Wildflower honey.
Palate: More creamy vanilla sweetness pushing to the forefront with a bit of white pepper biting around the edges and a dusting of fresh grated nutmeg. The more I ruminate on this whiskey what comes to mind is a lovely ginger and peach preserve that I found at this local shop on the west side of Atlanta.
Finish: Moderate in length and woody. The pepper notes, black and white this time, linger with a milky creaminess that reminds of the finish of really cold organic skim milk.
Comments: Yummy. I don’t like this one quite as much as the original but it still has a tremendous amount to offer. It lacks some of the richness of the 90’s original but I think fans of many different whiskey styles will find something here that they like. Definitely get a hold of one of these if you get the chance!
Rating: Must Try

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