“Sherry Oh Baby”
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Glentauchers (UD Bottler - Bottled for Whisky Partner)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 6 Years
ABV: 61 %
Colour: Chestnut/Oloroso Sherry
Nose: This Glentauchers is naturally coloured and its dark Chestnut colour leads me to assume that it matured in an Ex-Oloroso Cask. The Nose confirms this. At first I find Sherry, Orange, Dried Fruits, Dark Chocolate, Cocoa Powder, Malt, Tobacco, Vanilla, Toasted Cereals and Butter. After a while I also encounter some nice but rather quiet Fruity tones. Alternately I smell Pears, Peaches, Plums and Red Apples. Some Perfume as well and traces of Dried Herbs and Espresso. The Alcohol is strong of course but it's not too difficult to find your way around it. It's hard to believe this Single Malt only matured for 6 years. It seems to have been a well chosen Cask. The only reference to the Spirit's relative youth is this Yeasty Bread Dough tone that pops up every once in a while. I can't find any real surprises but on the Nose this Glentauchers is sufficiently solid.
Taste: Lots of Sherry and Spices like Nutmeg, Cinnamon and Pepper. At this point the Alcohol gets quite strong. I also find Dried Fruits, Oak, Treacle, Dried Herbs, Malt, Dried Banana and Red Apple.
Finish: Middle-Long and Sweet with Fruit Cake, Raisins, Dried Banana Bars and Oloroso. Spices like Nutmeg, Pepper and Cinnamon balance the Sweetness. I also find light Oak and Dark Chocolate tones. The Finish is quite smooth and that's remarkable given the high ABV.
I added a little Water and Floral, Malty and Perfume-like tones take over while the Sherry retreats. On the Palate and in the Finish the Spices are reinforced while some Licorice and Menthol pop up. I prefer to sip it neat despite the high ABV as the character of the Spirit is better preserved that way.
Rating: 85
Nose: 22 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 21.5 - Overall: 21
General Remarks: I can't tell you a lot about this limited expression I'm afraid. It was distilled in 2006 and bottled in 2012 exclusively for the Whisky Partner Cask Strength Collection. It's Naturally Coloured and Non-Chillfiltered. Some 360 bottles were commercialized apparently, roughly at 70 US Dollars a bottle.
The Glentauchers Distillery was founded in 1897 by James Buchanan and W.P. Lowrie. Today it is owned by Chivas (Pernod-Ricard). At this moment, almost all of the spirit is used in Blends like Chivas and, especially, Ballantine's. As far as I know, no Distillery Bottlings are available at the moment.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: I find it difficult to determine the final note on this Glentauchers. I like the Nose and I find it sufficiently interesting for a 6 Year old. In a blind tasting I would have easily guessed it to be between 10 and 12 years. It's on the Palate where I get a bit confused. Why should a 6 Year Old Single Malt have an ABV of 61%? What's there to hide if anything? Because the Alcohol really starts to dominate the other Flavours. And when you add Water, the Spirit gets a bit off-balance. The Finish is remarkably smooth again despite the high ABV. This is my first Gentauchers so I don't have any references. But I believe this Single Malt would have benefited from a lower ABV of say around 46%. As it is I would not consider drinking this high ABV Glentauchers on a daily basis although I enjoyed the Tasting Experiment.