Glen Talloch 8 Years Review

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Glen Talloch 

Type: Blended Scotch Malt Whisky (Vatted Malt)

Age: 8 Years

ABV: 40 %

Date: 05/01/2013

Colour: Golden Amber

Nose: Soft and Rather Restrained but not Unpleasant. Nothing is really standing out. I find Light Refill Oak, Barley, Burnt Toast, Nut Shells, Raisins, Lemon Peel,  Cocoa, light Honey, light Wood Spice and Fruity Tones (Apricot/Peach). A very faint hint of Smoke. The Alcohol is not fully integrated.  

Palate: Watery Delivery with Sugared Cereals, slightly Bitter Oak, light Vanilla, light Honey, light Licorice, Cocoa, Herbs and Pepper.

Finish: Short and Sugary Sweet with Barley, light Vanilla, light Honey, slightly Bitter Oak, light Licorice, Wood Spice and Pepper.

No need to add Water to the Glen Talloch 8 years.

Rating: 76

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 18.5 - Finish: 18- Overall: 19

General Remarks: The Glen Talloch 8 Years is a Blended Malt Whisky (Vatted Malt). It contains a/o Balblair, Knockdhu and Old Pulteney and probably also  Aberfeldy, Craigellachie and Speyburn. The Glen Talloch is quite popular in the Netherlands (Boomsma) where it's one of the best selling whiskies. There are two other expressions, the Rare & Old and the 12 Years Gold, both Blends of Malt - and Grain Whiskies. The Glen Talloch 8 years is not expensive at around 25 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average

Conclusion: The Glen Talloch 8 Years starts off well enough with a light, soft and not unpleasant Nose. But on the Palate and in the Finish things go wrong in my judgement. The delivery is very Watery and Sugared Cereals, Pepper and some slightly Bitter Wood take over from there on. In a blind tasting I would certainly believe the Nose to be of a young and light Single Malt. On the Palate and Finish however this tastes like a slightly better than average Blended Scotch Whisky. Given its affordable cost, the Price/Quality ratio is reasonable, but still I would not buy a full bottle of this Blended Malt.

Jan van den Ende                                                          January 2014

Glen Talloch Review

Country: Scotland 

Brand: Glen Talloch Rare & Old

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS

ABV: 40 %

Date: 09/10/2013

Colour: Yellow Gold

Nose: All the features of a young Bottom Shelf Blend. I find sharp Grain Alcohol, Green Refill Oak and Wood Chips, Burnt Sugar/Caramel, Pepper and Malt. And then some light Smoke, Tar, Nut Casks, Burnt Toast and Margarine, Lemon Peel and Rubber. A Hint of Gooseberries.

Palate: Rather Thin Delivery but nevertheless somewhat better than I had expected after the indifferent Nose. I get Cereals, Caramel, Pepper, slightly Bitter Wood, light Smoke, Vanilla, Honey, Rubber, light Licorice and Grain Alcohol.

Finish: Short, Sugary Sweet and somewhat Bitter with Sugar, Grain Alcohol, Pepper and Wood. Some Alcohol Burn at the end.

With some added Water, the Nose becomes less Sharp. But on the Palate and in the Finish it really doesn't taste like whisky anymore. 

Rating: 70.5

Nose: 17.5 - Taste: 18 - Finish: 17.5 - Overall: 17.5

General Remarks: This Blend is a mixture of Grain - and around 15 Single Malt whiskies (30%) including Balblair, Knockdhu, Aberfeldy, Pulteney, Craigellachie and Speyburn which have aged for at least 5 years. The Glen Talloch is mainly sold in the Netherlands (Boomsma) where it's one of the best selling Blends, generally used in Mixed Drinks. There are two other expressions, the 8 Years Blended Malt and the 12 Years Gold. The Rare & Old is very cheap at around 18 US Dollars per litre.

Drinking Experience Neat: Below Average

Conclusion: This is not a Blend I would recommend unless you only use Whisky for Mixing Purposes. Still I would suggest to try a cheap Bourbon instead. They taste better and their sweetness combines better with Coke or something similar. What a pity that so much Single Malt whisky is lost in a sea of indifferent Grain Whiskies to produce Blends like this!  

Jan van den Ende                                                           October 2013