Glen Albyn 28 (1979) The Whisky Shop

Review by: Raygun

Another first for me. Glen Albyn closed in 1983 and was subsequently demolished. 1983 was a tough year for distilleries. This was bottled by The Whisky Shop, a large chain in the UK, in their Glenkeir Treasures series. So a new distillery and a new bottler for me. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 10 minutes.

Distillery: Glen Albyn

Bottler: The Whisky Shop

Region/style: Highlands single malt Scotch

ABV: 56.5% 

Age: 28 years. Distilled in July 1979, bottled in August 2008. 

Cask type: Unknown   

Color: 1.3 russet. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: That’s good. Very rich and malty. Orange marmalade, fig spread, caramel. Good bit of oak. Has that old smell. Guessing a refill sherry cask. 

Palate: Orange blossom water, saffron, honey, cardamom, and currants. Taken a Persian turn. Quite a floral taste, but not in a soapy way. I feel like there’s a Persian dessert that tastes like this, but can’t remember the name. 

Finish: Orange cake, saffron cream, caramel, fig paste. Still sweet, though not as floral. The oak is pretty powerful, which is not surprising. Tannic, but not excessively so. 

Conclusion: This was unusual, and a lot of fun. The combination of flavors made me feel like I was sitting in a Persian restaurant, and I love Persian food so that was absolutely fine by me. It’s pretty sweet and definitely intense. Not an everyday sort of thing, but would be a great thing to bring out now and again. Delicious. 

Buy a bottle? Would love to

Score: 88

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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