Showing posts with label Glenglassaugh 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glenglassaugh 2011. Show all posts

Glenglassaugh 2011

 

”Half a Boy and Half a Man”


Whisky Review # 909

Country: Scotland
Region: Highlands
Brand: Glenglassaugh 2011 - Bottled at Distillery on May 27, 2019
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Scotch Whisky - Distilled on November 20, 2011
Age: Around 7.5 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 58.6% (Cask-Strength)
Maturation: Marsala Hogshead - Cask # 1374
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 80-90 (0,5 ltr) - April 2021
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Borderline okay for such a Young Whisky.
Buying Advice:😐Good Nose but Palate and Finish are Young and Unsettled.

Colour:

Deep Amber, almost Brown (Natural Color)

Nose:

Sweet, Herbal, Spicy. This is Christmas in a glass. Despite the high ABV, the Alcohol is nicely integrated. In general it feels like this Single Malt had much more cask time than its roughly 8 Years. The Marsala cask really left its mark but in this case that seems to work well.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Toasted Barley, German Butter Biscuits. Molasses, Brown Sugar, Marzipan, Slightly Sour Red Berries and Cherries, Sweet Red Wine, Cooked Apples spiced with Cinnamon and Nutmeg, Dried Herbs, Oak, Candied Orange, Ginger and Cocoa.
  
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Wax, Dough, Caramel, Vanilla, Rum-Soaked Raisins, Plum-Jam, Peach-Flavored Yogurt, Nectarine, Grapefruit, Grass and Straw, Leather, Tobacco, Pepper, Cloves and Mint.
   
Filling the Bottle!

Palate:

Both the Alcohol and the relative Youth of this Glenglassaugh become more visible. It's more Rough and Unsettled than the soft Nose would want you to believe. Mostly Bitter-Sweet with a few Sour notes as well.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Toasted Barley, Brown Sugar, Molasses, Butter, slighty Sour Red Berries and Cherries, Marzipan, Candied Orange, Red Wine, Dark Chocolate, Dried Herbs, Mint, Oak, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger and Licorice.
   
Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Toffee, Vanilla, Wax, Resin, Grapefruit, Lemon, Plum Jam, Peach/Apricot- flavored Yogurt, Leather, Tobacco, Cinnamon and Cloves.


Finish
:


Middle-Long. Mainly Bitter-Sweet with a few Sour notes for necessary balance. Quite Dry towards the end. The Alcohol is much more noticeable now and the Marsala cask can't hide the Youth of this spirit anymore. The Finish is a bit Unsettled and Edgy. I find Toasted Barley, Burnt Caramel, Molasses, Toffee, Vanilla, Honey, Oak, Rum-Soaked Raisins, Resin, Dried Herbs, Orange Peel, Grapefruit, Stewed Apple, Dark Chocolate, Espresso, Red Wine & Red Fruit, Tobacco, Leather, Licorice, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Menthol and Licorice.

Drinking Advice:

I added a little Water and while that doesn't significantly change the Aroma and Flavor profile, it does calm down this Single Malt. You can try it out both ways but in this case a few drops can't hurt!

Rating: 85

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

Drinking Experience Neat:

Good

Conclusion:

The Glenglassaugh Distillery is located in Portsoy, Banffshire and was founded in 1875 by James Moir and his two nephews William and Alexander Morrison. In 1892 the distillery was sold to Highland Distillers and it remained in their possession until 2008. It was closed three times in its history, most recently between 1986 and 2008. In the year 2008 it was revived by the Dutch Scaent Group. Finally, in 2013, Glenglassaugh was bought by The BenRiach Distillery Company that also operates BenRiach and GlenDronach. The core range consists of the Revival, Evolution and Torfa. The distillery produces around 800.000 litres annually. On May 27, 2019 we visited the distillery and did a very nice private tour. At the end of the visit I bottled a 0,5 litre bottle directly from the cask. It was distilled in November 2011 and did mature in a Marsala Hogshead. Just writing this brings back happy memories and a smile to my face. The location of the distillery is just breath-taking close to the bay and I highly recommend a visit.

Marsala is a fortified Italian wine made close to the city of Marsala on the island of Sicily. It's a protected brand name.

This Glenglassaugh is not a bad Single Malt and the Marsala cask works well here. The Nose is quite good and doesn't give its Youth away. But Palate and Finish do and clearly show that this Glenglassaugh needed more cask time. So it's Half a Boy and Half a Man as Nick Lowe once sang. I think that 10 years in good Ex-Bourbon casks and a two year Finish in a Marsala cask would  have really done the trick. As it is, it's okay and Sherry-Bomb lovers might cherish this one too. Personally, I really loved the whole Glenglassaugh experience but I would not buy another bottle of this specific Single Malt.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                            April 7, 2021