SMWS 19.90 Chilled Toddy (Glen Garioch 19)

Review by: Raygun

Not a lot to say by way of intro. Glen Garioch has recently moved back to direct firing and floor maltings, but this was distilled long before those changes. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes. 

Distillery: Glen Garioch  

Bottler: SMWS     

Region/style: Highland single malt Scotch

ABV: 54%. Cask strength.  

Age: 19 years. Distilled on February 7, 2003, bottled on January 20, 2023. 

Cask type: First-fill bourbon barrel, 192 bottles.

Color: 0.6 old gold. Natural color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Caramel, pear, green grapes, and a streak of mineral. Pretty strong alcohol that’s hard to get past. Something like charcoal, too.    

Palate: Takes an interesting turn. Still quite a bit of caramel, but it takes a tropical detour with passion fruit and lime curd. Which is nice, but it’s a little too sour. Grapefruit pith. Alcohol is again prominent. Not sulfury, but something tastes harsh and sort of burnt. There’s a bitter flavor, but hard to nail down what precisely. 

Finish: I don’t taste the age. Caramel, lime, passion fruit, and white pepper. Some flint. Citrus pith. There’s the bitterness again. Still can’t decide if it’s citrus pith or something burnt. Maybe burnt citrus pith. 

Conclusion: Disappointing for the stats sums it up. There’s some nice stuff, but too much sour and bitter getting in the way. Although it doesn’t taste very old, I assume it’s oak influence producing those flavors. Maybe this would have been better bottled a couple of years earlier. A first-fill barrel for 19 years, it’s not shocking that it would get too oaky. As it is, I’m not sure this would beat out the 12. 

Buy a bottle? Easy pass     

Score: 75

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.

Leave a comment