Glendullan 23 Year (1972) Rare Malts

Review by: Raygun

Never had any of the Diageo Rare Malts series, which is pretty legendary. There was also a Brora at the bar, but the price was crazy. This was approaching the realm of reasonable, especially for a half pour. Glendullan mostly goes into Diageo’s Singleton brand, which is utterly dull, to be generous. I’m hoping this is not.

Distillery: Glendullan

Bottler: Diageo Rare Malts

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 62.4%. Cask strength

Age: 23 years. Distilled in November 2010. Bottled in October 2021

Cask type: Unknown

Price: About $60 for the pour

Nose: Oh, this is funky. Fruity, grassy, and farmy/earthy all at the same time. Mixed fruit cocktail with parsley. Old furniture.

Palate: Beautiful. A massive palette of fruit, like popping a bunch of Starburst all at once. Oranges, grapes, peaches, star fruit, cherries, and maybe a couple more I’m missing. Grassy and earthy as well, but in a very clean way, if that makes any sense at all. The flavors just pop.

Finish: Fruity and sweet, but not one-dimensional. 7-Up with mint. Cherry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Touch of grass.

Conclusion: Stunning. I think the only Glendullan I’ve had before was the Singleton, which was boring watery crap, to be frank. This is incredible. Such a fruit explosion, but not merely sweet. So much going on. I could pick it apart over an hour. The bottom line is it tastes fantastic. Just a damn shame I can’t afford stuff like this regularly. Because wow.

Buy a bottle? Would have to win the lottery.

Final Score: 94

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
  • 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)

Published by Raygun

Unknown's avatar

I drank Scotch occasionally (mostly at family gatherings) for years, but started getting more interested after an introduction and tasting from a Scottish acquaintance. That led to buying my first bottle (Highland Park 12). Now 600+ spirits later, Scotch is still my first love, but I drink other whisky and dabble in brandy as well.

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