“Malty, the Maltman”
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Glen Grant 1995 (The Maltman)
Bottled by: Meadowside Blending Co. Ltd, Glasgow
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 17 Years
ABV: 46 %
Colour: Light Gold (Natural Colour)
Nose: Sweet, Malty, Floral and Fruity. The Alcohol is noticeable and you need to find your way around it. But when you succeed in doing so you will find a basket full of Fresh Fruit that contains Apples, Pears, Pineapples, Peaches, Nectarines and Bananas. I also find Sweet Barley, Oak and Resin, Wax, Custard Pudding, light Bourbon, light Honey, Grass, Lemon Zest, lightly Buttered Toast and light Wood Spices. Despite all these Aromas, it's not a very Complex Nose. Malt and Fruit are the main drivers. It's a pity that the Alcohol is not fully integrated.
Palate: Good- and Creamy Delivery. Here, the ABV works fine. Sweet at first but Oak and Spice quickly appear on stage. It's less Fruity than the Nose suggests. I find Sweet Barley, Charred Oak, Grass, Citrus (Mainly Orange), Apple, Melon, Vanilla, Bitter Chocolate, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, light Licorice and a hint of Espresso.
Finish: Middle-Long, Woody, Spicy and Sweet with a very light Bitterness in the end. I find Sugar, Marzipan, Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Lemon, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, light Licorice, Charred Oak and hints of Aniseed and After Eight.
I added a bit of Water and on the Nose you get More Malt and some Floral Perfume. On the Palate the Malt and Spices become even more dominant and the Finish gets rather Short. It's nice to add a bit of Water before Nosing but you better sip it Neat.
Rating: 83
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5
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 Malt I'm tasting today was distilled in September 1995. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Cask (# 97266) and was bottled in February 2013 by Independent Bottler Meadowside Blending Co. Ltd, Glasgow in their The Maltman Single Cask Series. Meadowside was founded in 2011 by Donald Hart and his son Andrew. This Glen Grant was not Chill-Filtered. Only 276 bottles went to the market. At the moment the average price lies around 90 US Dollars (November 2015).
Drinking Experience Neat: Good.
General Remarks:
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 Malt I'm tasting today was distilled in September 1995. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Cask (# 97266) and was bottled in February 2013 by Independent Bottler Meadowside Blending Co. Ltd, Glasgow in their The Maltman Single Cask Series. Meadowside was founded in 2011 by Donald Hart and his son Andrew. This Glen Grant was not Chill-Filtered. Only 276 bottles went to the market. At the moment the average price lies around 90 US Dollars (November 2015).
Drinking Experience Neat: Good.
Conclusion: It's surely a coincidence that this Glen Grant was released as part of Maidenhead's The Maltman series. Because it is a very Malt driven Whisky. On the Nose, the Barley is accompanied by lots of Fruit and that gives a very nice combination. Unfortunately, the Alcohol is a little too present in my opinion. The same Alcohol however guarantees a good Delivery. The lack of sufficient Fruit on the Palate allow Oak and Spices to dominate. I would have liked to see more balance there. The Finish is okay but simply does not provoke excitement. All in all this Glen Grant is a somewhat uneventful Speysider. Not bad but not great either.
Jan van den Ende November 5, 2015
Tasting Session at Glen Grant (May 2014)
