Review by: Raygun

Courtesy of an extremely generous friend , I was gifted a set of samples from one of the virtual masterclasses from the 2021 Whisky Show: Old and Rare run by The Whisky Exchange. A set of six drams selected by Angus MacRaild, Jonny McMillan, and Sukinder Singh. Not surprisingly, this will be my first Glenlochy, and one of 2-3 things I’ve had from the 60s. Not often I get to try stuff distilled before I was born. Rested about 20 minutes.

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Distillery: Glenlochy 

Bottler: Dun Eideann

Region/style: Highlands single malt Scotch

ABV: 46.8%

Age: 37 years. Distilled in 1965. Bottled in 2002 for Divo Sa in Switzerland. 

Cask type: A bourbon cask, #1529

Color: 0.9 amontillado. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Price: Around 3000 euros

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Nose: Wow, that’s good. Orange, pineapple, gingersnaps. The peat feels about Ardmore level; very much there but not dominating everything. 

Palate: Fruity and sweet, but also a pronounced barnyard note, which comes as a surprise. Oranges and pineapples, and also some papaya-like funk. That little bit of ginger. Has a mushroom kind of umami. I would say the palate doesn’t quite measure up to the nose, because the nose is really something.  

Finish: The barnyard flavor and papaya funk get more pronounced. Butterscotch brings it back to more conventional territory. Not savory, but there’s a subtle umami flavor. Great example of how peat doesn’t mean smoke. Not really smoky at all, but the peat can’t be missed. 

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Conclusion: Excellent. One of those that’s difficult to evaluate dispassionately, but from one sniff you can tell that it’s special. I thought from the nose it might be a 10, but the rest wasn’t quite there. Still, this is memorable. Very hard to find a modern comparison. I really haven’t had anything that similar. Would love to have more, but that’s pretty unlikely. 

Buy a bottle? Slightly out of my range.

Final Score: 89

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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)