Showing posts with label Glen Elgin 18. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glen Elgin 18. Show all posts

Glen Elgin 18 Years


”Glen Elegant”


Whisky Review # 918

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Glen Elgin
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Distilled 1998 - Bottled 2016
Age: 18 Years - Diageo Special Limited Release -  5352 Bottles
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 54.8% (On or Near Cask Strength)
Maturation: Mix of Ex-Bodega Sherried Butts and Refill European Oak
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 280-400 (June 2021)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎Ridiculously overpriced
Buying Advice: 😋Well-made, Elegant and Delicious. If you have the $, go for it!

Colour:

Golden (Natural Color)

Nose:

Quite Fresh and Vibrant. It doesn't open up very easy so please give it some time in the glass before Nosing. A nice mix of Fruity, Floral, Dairy and Green notes. It's Sweet but in a nice way. The Sherry influence is there but more of the Fino type. I don't use the word too often but this is a Nose I consider to be Elegant.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Buttered Cake, Fresh Apricot-filled Puff Pastry, Vanilla, Grass and Straw, Green Apple, Tangerine, Bounty Candy Bars, slightly Dusty Wood, Marzipan and Cinnamon.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Heather-Honey, Butterscotch, Yeast, Dough, Banana Ice-Cream, Fresh Herbs, Dusty Track, Salted Peanuts, Lemon, Floral Perfume, Polished Leather Upholstery and the faintest hint of Smoke.


Palate:

The Palate shows more muscles and Spice than the Nose would lead you to believe. The 54.8 percent Alcohol makes itself known as well. Still, it's so much better than the Mainstream Malt Madness I am tasting most of the time. The Palate reminds me of a Buttery Cake with Cream and lots of Sweet and Sour Fruits. I like it!

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Apricot-Filled Buttered Puff Pastry, Grass and Straw, Bounty Candy Bars, Grapefruit, Orange, Tangerine, Lemon, Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Heather-Honey, Toffee, Demerara Sugar, Nougat, Candied Almonds, Wax, Tea with Milk Cream, Fresh Herbs, Pear Juice, Dusty Oak and Polished Leather Upholstery.
  
Finish:

Middle-Long. A mix of Spices, Sweet & Sour Fruit. Creamy & Sweet in the beginning but a bit more Sour and Waxy towards the Dry end. The Alcohol is more noticeable at this point but there's quality in this Finish. I find Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Milk-Hazelnut Chocolate, Heather Honey, Nougat, Green Apple, Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon, Tangerine, Wax, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Mint, Aniseed, Dusty Oak and Floral Perfume. Again this very faint hint of Smoke.  

Drinking Advice:

With a little Water you enter a Bakery shop early in the morning when the Bread is freshly made. Lots of Citrus Fruit as well. Palate and Finish do not change a lot but you manage the Alcohol this way. I like it both ways.

Rating: 88.5

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 22 - Finish: 22 - Overall: 22

Drinking Experience Neat: Very Nice!

Conclusion:

The Glen Elgin distillery is located four miles south of Elgin in the small village of Fogwatt close to the A 941. It was founded in 1898 by James Carle and William Simpson. It had its ups and downs but was finally bought by DCL in 1930. Today it's part of the Diageo Group and became one of their Classic Malts range in 2005. Most of the Spirit is destined for Blends. The only official bottlings are the 12 Years and the limited 18 Years Edition I'm reviewing today that was released in 2017.

This Glen Elgin is actually a Blend of two 18 Year-Old Single Malts, both distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2016. The first one matured in Refill European Oak Butts and used a common Yeast strain. The second one, matured in Ex-Bodega Sherry casks, used the aromatic Pombe Yeast, normally applied to selected Beers and Rums.

What a great Single Malt! Ridiculously overpriced but That's the Way of Diageo's World unfortunately. Elegant and Soft on the Nose but Spicy and Powerful on the Palate and in the Finish. A nice mix of Sweet and Sour Fruit with lots of nice Bakery impressions as well. A pity that most of Glen Elgin's production disappears in the endless Sea of Blends. It certainly deserves a place on the Single Malt market. Come on Diageo, give it a go! How about a 15 and 18 years with a decent ABV and good Cask management to accompany the existing 12 Year Old! Whisky fans would love it!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                           June 9, 2021