Review by: The Muskox

Glenlossie isn’t a distillery I ever thought much about – it’s a blend-component whisky the usually has a very subtle character. Then, my friend b1uepenguin tried a 1978 Glenlossie and scored it a rare 10/10 Penguin Points ™. Since then, I’ve been looking to try something similar. Here’s an old Douglas Laing bottling from the same vintage – let’s see if it’s just as good!

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Distillery: Glenlossie.

Bottler: Douglas Laing.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 50%.

Age: 21 years. Distilled in January 1978. Bottled in May 1999.

Cask type: “Oak cask”, yielding 211 bottles.

Price: N/A. $26 for a pour at the bar.

Color: Dark gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: It started quite austere, but it got going after a long rest. Refill-sherry-cask fruit up front: stonefruit, orange, a hint of raisin, and sort of a bright strawberry-kiwi note. Some more toasty sweet notes follow, with robust honey, fresh pastries, creamy maple fudge, and slivered almonds. Underneath lies some earthy dunnage and a hint of smoke.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Powerful sweet-sour arrival – lots of citrus, boiled sweets, and stonefruit, along with richer sweet notes of honeycomb and maple butter. It develops to very strong floral notes, almost potpourri-ish, rich incense, some honeysuckle, then robust oak and leather. On the back end is orange jam (not bitter enough to be marmalade), and a slightly effervescent character.

Finish: Long. That effervescent note acquires a champagne-like flavour here. The oak lightens up, leaving sandalwood and ginger. More orange jam, honeycomb, and maple butter.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Mimosa brunch at the hippie commune”

Conclusion: A stellar whisky. Outstanding balance between power and complexity, richness and freshness. Lovely creamy honeycomb-maple character, and that extreme potpourri/citrus hit on the palate will definitely make this a memorable dram for me. It reminded me of walking into some of the more hippy-dippy mineral stores (which I do for purely academic reasons), and walking into an aromatic wall of incense. At the end of this glass, I really felt like I still only scratched the surface of all that was going on.

Final Score: 91.

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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.