The best thing about sampling blind is being saved from your own prejudices.
I will have to admit my first brush with Glenglassaugh was in 2015 with an open bottle of Torfa at Quaich in Singapore. To put it mildly, I wasn’t impressed and my strongest memory was that of solvent. Fast forward two years and I had an opportunity to compare minis of both Evolution and Torfa – better, definitely better. Late 2018, I was introduced to their Peated Port Wood – certainly moving in a much better direction. And now, in May 2019 I found a Glenglassaugh that clearly hit its mark.
Yet I knew none of this when I picked up that Glencairn glass and began to sniff, swish and sip my way…
Glenglassaugh Revival 46%
- Nose – Sour curd, spice, prunes, raising, chocolatey custard, black pepper spice which then shifted into red chillies, oily, orange cloves and Christmas pudding, tobacco, dusty
- Palate – Greeted with a bit of spice, tobacco, prunes, medium body with a good mouthfeel, wood smoke, chestnut, caramelized apples, some oak, honey malt
- Finish – A great chewy cherry finish, more of the prunes carried through, had staying power
Of the three whiskies sampled that evening, it was by far the most robust and complex. The character also kept changing. Most remarkable was when it was revisited there was a delightful perfume!
While I couldn’t find anything specific on the bottle which indicated which batch, our host thought it was from their first release.
What do the folks at Glenglassaugh have to say?
The Revival is the first expression released from Glenglassaugh distillery after being mothballed for more than 20 years. The Glenglassaugh Revival has been matured in a balanced mix of ex-red wine and fresh bourbon casks, vatted and re-racked for double maturation in rich sherry casks. Bottled at 46%, non chill filtered and of natural colour, Revival is a stunning Highland single malt with a coastal charm.
- Colour: Copper
- Nose: Sweet caramel and toffee with notes of nutty sherry, milk chocolate and honey. Ripe plums, red berries and oranges. Caramelised sugar and earthy, charred oak.
- Palate: Sweet, rounded and creamy. Oranges, plums, cherry and walnuts, chocolate, honey-mead, sherry and soft, spiced oak.
- Finish: Medium with warming mulled-wine spices, sherry and caramel.
While not sure where our host sourced this whisky, it is available at Master of Malt for approx $40.
What else did we try?
What about other Glenglassaugh experiences? Read on…
- 1st brush with Torfa 50% + Revisit (May 2018)
- Evolution 50%
- Peated Port Wood Finish 46%
Interested in catching more? Why not follow Whisky Lady on:
- WordPress https://whiskylady.co/
- FaceBook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN
- Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN
Whisky Lady 