Brand: Glen Grant 1975 (Archives)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 36 Years
ABV: 46.6 %
Lord Jan and Lady Grant
Nose: Fruity, Floral and Mature. Alcohol, Wood and Spices are nicely integrated. I find Pineapple, Peach, Banana, Orange, Mandarin, Red Fruit, Heather, Honey, Barley, (Lemon) Grass, Straw, Espresso, Toast, Fruit Cake, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cream and hints of Espresso, Leather and Dusty Shelves.
The Oregon Pine Wash Backs
A Spirit Purifier
Finish: Middle-Long and quite Dry towards the end. There's still some Red Fruit left and perhaps a little Mango. I also find Honey. But slightly Bitter Oak and Spices like Pepper, Cinnamon and Nutmeg start to dominate. Fortunately, some Dark Chocolate arrives after a couple of minutes.
The Magnificent Stills
I added a bit of Water and that further enhances the Fruity and Floral tones on the Nose. But Palate and Finish do not benefit from the added Water. I do get some Licorice now. But better enjoy this Glen Grant neat.
Rating: 87
General Remarks: The 1975 Glen Grant I am tasting today was distilled on the 18th of April 1975 and was bottled at Cask Strength on the 4th of January 2012. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Hogshead with Cask # 5476 out of which 81 bottles were sold via the Independent Whisky Bottler Whiskybase in Rotterdam. Archives is their relatively young own label. This Single Malt is naturally coloured and not Chill-Filtered. I believe it's Out of Stock right now at Whiskybase. It was sold at around 170 US Dollars.
Drinking Experience Neat: Very Nice.
Conclusion: This is one of the oldest Single Malts I've tasted so far. Great Balance and Depth on the Nose. Fruit, Floral Tones, Wood and Spices are fully in Harmony. Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore on the Palate and in the Finish. There the Wood and Spices start to dominate and we can conclude that Cask # 5476 was an active one. Despite this, the Glen Grant remains a well-crafted Single Malt and it was a pleasure Nosing and Tasting it. What a pity I only had a very small sample. If you like the flavour profile and you have the Cash, go for it if you can still find it!
Some Data: Glen Grant is the only Scottish Distillery that was named after its founders/owners John and James Grant. The Distillery is located just off the A 941 in Rothes, Morayshire, around 10 miles South of Elgin. It was founded by the Grant Brothers in 1840 and since 2006 it belongs to the Italian Campari Group. Glen Grant is mostly known as a Single Malt, especially in Italy but it's also a part of the Chivas Regal and Old Smuggler Braemar Blends. The Glen Grant Distillery possesses 1 Stainless Steel Semi Lauter Mash Tun, 10 Oregon Pine Wash Backs and 4 Pairs of Stills. In 2013 their total production amounted to around 3,2 million litres.
Old Warehouses
The water for the distillery is sourced at the Back Burn and Tobar-Dhomhnaich Well. From Mid January to Mid December, the Distillery opens from Monday - Saturday from 9.30 to 17.00 hours and from May to October also on Sunday from 9.30 to 17.00. The Standard Tour costs 3,50 Pounds. Glen Grant's new nice and modern Visitor Centre opened in 2008. You can also visit the Victorian Garden (22 acres). It rained Cats and Dogs again when we visited the distillery so we refrained from the outdoor activities.
The Bottling Facility
We visited Glen Grant on a rainy Thursday May 22, 2014. We were very early (9.30) and got ourselves a private Tour. We really enjoyed it and our guide was both friendly and knowledgeable. My brother in law Jan was able to shoot some nice pictures. The new bottling facility was opened in April 2013 and is very impressive. At the end of the Tour we experienced the NAS Major's Reserve, the 10 Year and the 16 Year. If you're only going to visit a few distilleries in the Speyside region, I can fully recommend to include Glen Grant!
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