Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Image Credit: zSolaris, aka Scotch&Sheen (Check out his review through the link)
Distillery: Glen Grant.
Bottler: Vintage Malt Whisky Co.
Region: Scotland/Speyside Single Malt.
ABV: 58.5%. Cask Strength.
Age: 23 Years. Distilled in 1995.
Cask type: Hogshead.
Nose: Orchard fruits and pastries danced with dried wood and wood polish, grassy hay bales and woody sawdust.
Palate: Medium-bodied with syrupy orchard fruits and a hint of coconut or something more tropical, pepper and herbal spice arrived after the fruit, aromatic cedar wood and cigar box at the end with lingering herbal spice and pepper.
Finish: Medium to long with buttery pastries, honey, and oak.
Mental Image: A Basket of Purring.
Conclusion: Buttery biscuits and honey wafted from the glass, chased by rattan and a hint of wood polish. Green apples and Bosc pears arrived in a woven fruit basket with hay bales and sawdust. Medium-bodied on the palate with a beautiful syrupy quality that introduced apples, quince, and coconut across buttery pancakes and biscuits. A mild, malty sweetness lingered with a touch of pepper and hints of herbal spice. More weathered cedar wood and tobacco toward the end with a kiss of catnip and pepper. The finish was medium to long with buttery pastry, honey, and oak.
Not a complex monster or anything that required deep thought and consideration, this mature Glen Grant was a mellow purring kitten— the kind that falls asleep in your lap and prevents you from ever moving again. It had few cards to play, but it played them very well.
The aroma was often a touch oaky for my taste, with wood seemingly always ready to pop out and push the other notes out of the way, but the lovely pear notes never gave up. The flavors on the palate were more balanced and structured with a beautifully restrained sweetness that linked orchard fruits— from continental to tropical— with buttery pastries, herbs, pepper, and gentle oak. The finish was beautiful and always left me wanting to take another sip.
Overall, a sentimental, mellow crooner.
Final Score: 81.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 