Glenturret 11 Year (2009) SMWS 16.53 “Confessions of a Barbecue”
Review by zSolaris
Image Credit to /u/b1uepenguin, you can read his excellent review here
Distillery: Glenturret.
Region: Highland.
Bottler: SMWS.
Age: 11 year. Distilled on December 16th, 2009.
ABV: 61.1%.
Cask Type: Re-charred Hogshead.
Price: Courtesy of /u/b1uepenguin.
Color: 1.9, Brown Sherry.
This review was done blind with the only hint given being that it was peated.
Nose: This is a lot less peaty than I’d expected for something being labelled as peated. I got a little bit of peat on the first whiff or two but after that, the nose is really dominated by sherry with plenty of raisin and old oak notes.
Palate: Unlike the nose, the peat really shows up here. It comes in the form of a very dirty, sooty smoke. There really isn’t anything else going on here beyond the peat.
Finish: Short. Very sooty.
Guess: Scotland. Malt. Islay. Caol Ila. 5-9 years of age. 50-55% ABV. Sherry cask.
Reveal: Glenturret 11 Year (2009) SMWS 16.53 “Confessions of a Barbecue”
Conclusion: Anytime I come across a 60%+ ABV whisky that drinks a lot easier than it should, I always am left wondering what exactly is going on which is what this Glenturret has left me with. It’s pretty easy drinking and had me thinking it was at a much lower alcohol content. Beyond that, there’s not a whole lot super interesting about this whisky for me. The nose has something that isn’t just sooty, dirty peat with the raisins and old oak but beyond that, this is very much a one note dram. Not bad, just not particularly interesting for me.
Rating: 76.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 
