Review by: Raygun
Not had much Glen Ord, but I’ve liked what I had (a Cadenhead’s bottle was a standout). Deserves better treatment than it gets from Diageo, mostly watered down and used for the Singleton brand. This special release is a different beast, and I am interested to try it. Reviewed from a bar pour. Rested about 5 minutes.
Distillery: Glen Ord
Bottler: Glen Ord
Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch
ABV: 54.2%
Age: 15 years. Bottled in 2022.
Cask type: Started in bourbon, then moved to wine casks for eight years.
Color: Too dark to tell. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.
Price: Still available for ~$140.
Nose: Lemon, caramel, butterscotch, a touch of grass. Don’t get a huge amount of wine influence, but there’s a little berry
Palate: Pear tart, butterscotch, hay, caramel. Nice weight. Again not a lot of wine, but there’s a nice herbal flavor that comes through.
Finish: Pears, butterscotch, a hint of anise, lemon. Honey. A little bit of something earthy. Good length.
Conclusion: Glen Ord is a good one. There should be more at cask strength. Fortunately IBs aren’t too hard to find. Has a nice character. Good mix of fruit and herbal flavors. Goes down nicely. Not sure what kind of wine casks were used, but I didn’t find the wine influence was that strong even compared to some with a much shorter finish.
Buy a bottle? It’s nice, but I’ll probably stick with IBs.
Final Score: 79
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)
Malt Runners 