Glenturret 1979 (Gordon & MacPhail) Review

“A Taste of Honey”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highlands

Brand: Glenturret 1979 

Selected, Produced and Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, Elgin 

Type: Single Malt

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 40%

Colour: Light Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Sweet with Sherry, Heather Honey, Sweet Barley, Butter Biscuits, Straw, Nuts, Toffee, Cereal Bars, Marzipan, Dried Fruits soaked in Rum, Vanilla, Plum Jam, Fresh Mint, Floral Tones and hints of Licorice and White Chocolate. The Nose is reasonably Well-Balanced although the Alcohol is not fully integrated. 

Taste: Light, Grassy and a bit Edgy. It's my least favourite part of this Single Malt. I find Sweet Barley, Heather Honey, Straw, Vanilla, Toffee, Plums, Herbs, slightly Bitter Oak, light Sherry, Pepper, Licorice, Nutmeg and Cloves. A hint of Cough Syrup towards the end.   

Finish: Middle-Long, Oily, Bitter Sweet and Dry towards the end with Sweet Barley, Heather Honey, Cough Syrup, Vanilla, White Chocolate, Toffee, Plums, Straw, Charred Oak, Pepper, Nutmeg, Licorice and Menthol. 

I added a couple of drops of water and on the Nose you will get more Floral, almost Perfume-like Notes. The Barley also develops well. But Palate and Finish become too Light in my opinion. You can add a little Water for the sake of Nosing but you better sip it neat.

Rating: 82.5  

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Glenturret Distillery is the oldest working distillery in Scotland, located at the Hosh, Crieff (Pertshire) just off the A 85.  It's one of the smallest as well with only 1 pair of Stills. It was founded in 1875 as a farm distillery called Hosh. A licence was received in 1818 and in 1875 Hosh was renamed Glenturret. The production ceased in 1921 and only restarted in 1959. It changed hands a couple of times before being bought in 1999 by the 1887 Company, a joint-venture between Edrington (70%) and William Grant (30%). Today, the Glenturret Distillery is the Spiritual home of the Famous Grouse Blend.

The Glenturret 1997 was bottled in 2007 by Indie Bottler Gordon & MacPhail as part of their "Mac Phail's Collection". It matured in a Refill Ex-Sherry Hogshead.

It is discontinued in the meantime but you might find the odd bottle here and there at a price of around 50 US Dollars (October 2015). I bought the miniature 5CL bottle at the Gordon & MacPhail shop in Elgin in May 2014.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good 

Conclusion: For the first time since I started to write Tasting Notes I got the image of a Stillman chatting on Twitter or something similar that was available in 1997 while the Tail of the Spirit started to pass through the Spirit Safe. I don't think that's really the case here but I do find the Spirit a little Edgy and Dirty, especially on the Palate. I'm not too fond of the Cough Syrup and Licorice notes in this Glenturret but on the positive side I like the Barley and Heather Honey. The Nose and the Finish of this Single Malt are okay but taste wise it's not quite my cup of Whisky. It is my first Glenturret so I need to trace other expressions in order to find out if the Spirit of this Distillery is sufficiently interesting as a Single Malt or if it mostly serves as the Heart and Soul of The Famous Grouse Experience. To Be Continued...   

Jan van den Ende                                                                October 22, 2015