Glenrothes 21 Year (1997) Cadenhead’s Sherry Cask

Review by: The Muskox

I’ve had this sample in my cupboard for a while, but I kind of forgot about it until the same bottling showed up in TOModera’s amazing Glenrothes quest yesterday. I think I’ve already found one amazing Glenrothes, but have yet to find another. Let’s see how this sherry-cask bottling from Cadenhead’s generally-high-quality Wood Range series measures up.

Distillery: Glenrothes.

Bottler: Cadenhead’s.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 57.1%, cask strength.

Age: 21 years old. Distilled in 1997. Bottled in 2019.

Cask type: Sherry butt.

Color: Dark gold. No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

Nose: Sugar-forward. Toffee bars, hard caramels, maple fudge, browned butter, coffee ice cream, and chocolate sprinkles. Clove and star anise. Some soft raisins, cherry, and orange oil. Fairly musty – some leather and tobacco.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Sour cherries, peach, and vanilla on the arrival. Oak and bitter orange peel on the development, leading to tobacco, nuts, and leather. Rich espresso, pralines ‘n’ cream, and burnt sugar. Sort of a whole-bran malt kind of note. Cool earthiness, flowers, and cardamom on the back end.

Finish: Medium-length, sweet but with a pleasant woody/coffee/dark chocolate bitterness. Antique furniture, tobacco, worn leather. More toffee and pralines. Fragrant citrus and melon. A bit of that bubblegum that TOModera mentioned.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Hipster café sketchbook artist”

Notes: It’s not particularly exciting, but tasty. Very toffee/oak forward, without much in the way of the typical sherry fruit. That’s fine with me; it helps to set this bottle apart from the pack a little. It’s a bit lacking in complexity. The mouthfeel and finish are quite nice. I’m not sure I’ll remember this whisky in 3 months, but it was perfectly enjoyable to sip last night.

Final Score: 84.

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.

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