Tag Archives: Glen Garioch

Whisky Show 2024 – Decadent Drinks

Posted on by
Reply

London’s Whisky Show brought many delights. One was time spent at Decadent Drinks – the folks behind the irreverent Whisky Sponge – which has “retired” as a brand! We didn’t quite get through the full range – yet we definitely covered a gamut from light to heavy moderately aged to mature!

Glen Garioch 21 year (2003 / 2024) 1st fill bourbon hogshead 55.1% 1 of 248 bottles (Decadent Drinks)

Our explorations began in the highlands… 

  • Nose – Fruity, juicy, then shifts into hazelnut chocolate nougat
  • Palate – Lovely fruits n spice n everything nice! Waxy, with a roll around the palate kinda substance
  • Finish – Almost a hint of copper 

What a wonderful way to begin with fruity fabulousness. Yum!

Aberlour 33 year (1989 + 1991 / 1999) Ed No 29, Refill Hogsheads 49.7% (Whisky Sponge) GBP 365

  • Nose – Gorgeous sherry! Unlike some heavy sherry drams – this was not “in your face” – instead just beautiful dark fruits
  • Palate – More elegant and refined than your typical Abelour, lovely balance
  • Finish – Sweet and long

A proper “grown-up” whisky! Sometimes Aberlour with its devotion to full-on sherry can be a bit much – this was incredibly nuanced and complex. Just wow!

Glen Grant 31 years (1993 / 2024) 52.7% 129 bottles (Decadent Drinks – Whisky Land Chapter 3)  GBP 595

  • Nose – Surprisingly strong – rich fruits and how!
  • Palate – What fun! Prickly ginger spice, buttercream
  • Finish – Sponge cake

If the Glen Grant 12 year old from the 1970s was elegance and refinement, this was the crazy cousin showing very different colours!

Notable Age Statements Blend 17 year 53% (Decadent Drinks) GBP 95

As a play on NAS – No Age Statement – the folks at Decadent Drinks have a series of Notable Age Statement whiskies!

  • Nose – Classically elegant
  • Palate – So balanced, sherry berry 
  • Finish – Don’t laugh – but my tasting companion dubbed this quite a “bitchy” finish!

What more do we know? This is what the folks at Decadent Drinks have to say:

This bottling is composed of a 1st fill sherry butt of 2001 blended malt and a 1st fill sherry butt of 2006 Aultmore. The resulting, multi-vintage mix was bottled with slight reduction at 53%.

This is our attempt to create an older style, sherry matured malt whisky profile. Designed to be easy, fruity and highly drinkable with plenty of classical, earthy and elegant sherry character.

Ardnamurchin 7 year Ed No 100 57.9% (Whisky Sponge – final edition)
  • Nose – Sherry joined by glazed maple with a hint of peat
  • Palate – Sweet and a bit sharp – young and brash, then it settled down to become super fruity and juicy, stewed fruits
  • Finish – Quite active
This was a whisky of contrasts – active and sharp then balanced, vacillating in between quite different characters. It was almost as though it had a kind of identity crisis!
 
It all made sense when I looked up more details. Here is what they had to say: 

This is Whisky Sponge Edition No.100. It’s a 2016 and 2017, 7 year old Ardnamurchan small batch.  It’s a potion that Angus cooked up in collaboration with the good folk at Ardnamurchan Distillery. It’s a mix of 1st fill and 2nd fill, peated and unpeated sherry octaves. We mixed them all together and married them in a refill sherry butt for over six months until the whole potion turned 7 years old, then we bottled it with slight reduction at 57.1%. For those of you that deify transparency, here’s the recipe…  

  • 2017 – Unpeated 1st Fill Sherry, Peated 1st Fill sherry, Peated 1st Fill Sherry, Peated Refill Sherry 
  • 2016  – Unpeated Refill sherry, Unpeated Refill Sherry, Unpeated Refill Sherry, Unpeated 1st Fill Sherry 

We wanted to celebrate and mark the final edition of Whisky Sponge with a whisky that was excellent quality, one that was collaborative and that we’d had a role in creating and making unique to us, and that was modern in the best sense and looked to the future. We feel we have succeeded in this – we hope you agree.  

It was quite an interesting experience!

Ledaig 29 year (1995/2024) 52% (Decadent Drinks – Westie Sponge 4)

  • Nose – Coffee, cinnamon, sweet spices, cakey
  • Palate – “I’m here now!” Big, bold, brilliant flavours! Sherry and coffee, cherry, chewy… lightly peated
  • Finish – Long and strong

Westie Sponge is a series devoted to the Western Highlands and Islands – which naturally needed to include this Ledaig from Tobermory distillery from Isle of Mull. 

Bowmore 20 year (2004) 53.3% 171 Bottles (Decadent Drinks – Whiskyland Chapter Two)

  • Nose – Fresh and bright, a delightful sea breeze, perfume then dark fruits, lush
  • Palate – Sweet peat, fruity in perfect harmony, elegant and well-rounded
  • Finish – Lingers

What more do we know? It is a refill hogshead from 2004. In some ways it was an un-Bowmore-like Bowmore – less forceful and more restrained. Lovely.

Ardmore 22 year (1997 + 2000) 53% (Decadent Drinks – Whisky Sponge – Equilibrium 3rd Edition) GBP 215

  • Nose – Love it! Peat and sweet
  • Palate – Perfect balance of peat and sherry, unctuous mouthfeel, meaty yet soft too
  • Finish – Marshmallows and cherry

The deep ruby hues (without any added colour!) means there has been some serious contact with an ex sherry cask! Here’s what else they have to say:

For this final bottling in the Equilibrium series, we took a refill matured 1997 and sherry finished 2000, medium peated highland malt and married them together in a 2nd fill sherry hogshead. That mix was then bottled as this 22 year old with a few degrees reduction at 53%. 

The result is the softest of the three Equilibrium bottlings in terms of peat level, and probably the richest in terms of sherry character. But overall, this is a wonderful, complex and beautifully quaffable sherry and peat influenced dram, one where age and time have also worked some pretty delicious tricks…  

Mortlach 16 year (2007) 48.5% (Decadent Drinks – Equinox & Solstice Summer Edition)

  • Nose – How extraordinary? There was a distinctive chaat masala aroma of black salt! Tangy, tropical fruits
  • Palate – Sherry edge, no lightweight at all. Oily, big and bold. Fruity and full. More of that chaat masala too!
  • Finish – Coffee

It was muscular without being heavy-handed. 

Miltonduff 11 year (2012)  1st Fill Sherry Hogshead 48.5% (Decadent Drinks – Equinox & Solstice Winter Edition) GBP 110

  • Nose – Rich yet not overpowering, juicy fruits then shifts into a mocha sundae, creamy eggnog 
  • Palate – Think of a delicious black forest cake with dark cherries, yet restrained too
  • Finish – Beautiful

A clear Speyside hero in its best form. 

Thank you Elise from Fredericton New Brunswick for making our time with Decadent Drinks so rewarding!

If you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

London’s Whisky Show 2023 – Single + Single

Posted on by
Reply

In our planning for our one day at London’s Whisky Show 2023, I insisted on including Single & Single in our explorations. A newer entrant into the indie bottle scene, they have been around since 2000. After a bit of a quieter period, they are back with striking labels and getting their word out. 

On offer was their Alter Ego Range described as:

At Single & Single, we are renowned for our adventurous pursuit of uncompromising whiskies. We take pride in crafting spirits that not only delight your palate but also captivate your imagination. Our Alter Ego Collection, with its distinctive photographic character labels, is a testament to our commitment to engaging you on a deeper level.

We believe in making our whiskies memorable for you. That’s why we’ve chosen to tell our story through captivating characters. These characters serve as the key to unlocking a world of flavour and intrigue just for you.

We tried their full range of five, starting first with Glen Garioch…

Glen Garioch 10 year (2012)  Bourbon barrel, 1st Fill 52% 673 Bottles

This was one powerful dram – a burst of aromas on the nose and full flavours on the palate. Quite rewarding and impossible to ignore. Not quite why, but I jotted down “The Pogues” – somehow this dram reminded me of the band!

What do they have to say?

With this whisky, tradition is there to be toyed with. From the honey-sweet nose all the way through to a palate packed with cinnamon, fruit and barley, and on to its long herbal finish, this dram reinvents and refreshes. What you have here is an era-agnostic celebration of classic styles; an age-old approach that focuses firmly on the future. 

We were then guided to a pair of HIghlands to contrast and compare…

Highland 14 year (2008) Oloroso Sherry Barrel, 1st Fill 52% (yes – it is the one on the left!)

Fabulous! Rich, robust, full of fruits, quite juicy on the nose. Take a sip and be rewarded with big bold sherry flavours, round and full, tapering into a strong finish.

What they have to say:

A whisky that demands immediate respect, you’re bound to be captivated by this compelling dram. The nose leads with saltiness and soft sultanas before being joined by baking spices and dried fruit on the palate, then wafting off in a long, sweet finish. You might never discover exactly what this spirit is, but you’ll never forget its incredible allure. 

We then compared it with a different Highland – same vintage and also sherry!

Highland 14 year (2008) Sherry Butt 52% 748 Bottles (the above bottle on the right)

Delicious dried fruits on the nose, spicier and yet also had a lovely understated quality. The dried fruits follow through on the palate, also joined by sweet spices, and some marmalade, and then eased into a rather tasty finish.

I remember slightly preferring one of the other – I think it was the Olorosso however can’t be 100 sure as they were both good. 

What they have to say:

There’s something about this authentic, assured whisky. Quietly confident, it is by no means typical. With a complex flavour profile that shifts from hints of orange vanilla to cinnamon and spice, it might come off as a little eccentric. Maybe it is, but if you try to judge this dram by its cover, you’ll only be fooling yourself. 

Next up was a sassy young Linkwood.

Linkwood 7 year (2015) Château Larose Barrique, 1st Fill 52% 642 Bottles (Single + Single)

This one stood out for me. The aromas were old fragrant slightly floral candles, lemons, and simply delicious! Much like what I find with many Linkwoods – a delight on the nose and no push-over on the palate. Substantial, creamy, waxy, wonderful with some spice joining the nutty nougat… dessert in a glass. 

What they have to say:

Enticing and enigmatic, this whisky stares straight at you, unflinching. Fragrant, floral and grassy on the nose, it turns increasingly sweet on the palate with marzipan and almonds, before ending dry and citric. Upfront and beautiful, it’s got a glint in the eye that’s incredibly beguiling, if wholly unconventional.

Then we closed with a Tullibardine…

Tullibardine 8 year (2014) Château Margaux 52% 274 Bottles 

The aromas were full of citrus and berries. The palate is spicy, with the citrus shifting from lemon to orange, and more… I think I caught a bit of the wine element with some tannins and found it had a rather dry oaky finish. Pucker up and enjoy!

What do they have to say?

Dabbling in duality and layered with nuance, this whisky shifts perceptions from the start, with an explosion of lemon sherbet, red berries and marzipan on the nose. Take a sip and there’s custard, plum and orange zest before spice and hints of oak linger on the dry finish. A dram that defies labels, it’s charming and unapologetic, a contrast unto itself. 

What was our conclusion? As attractive as the labels were, the liquid reigns supreme – and in this case, it was a clear “thumbs up!” In terms of markets, I doubt I will see this in Germany anytime soon as they seem to be focusing attention primarily on the UK, France, South Africa, Taiwan, and South Korea in Asia.

And if you don’t want to miss a post, why not follow Whisky Lady on:

Highland Treat – Glen Garioch 15 year 53.7%

Posted on by
Reply

Waaaay back in the summer, our Whisky Ladies enjoyed a Highland Trio – starting with two whiskies from AnCnoc and closing with this Glen Garioch.

What did we think?

Glen Garioch 15 year Sherry Cask Matured 53.7%

  • Colour – A lovely dark ruby gold
  • Nose – Mmmm…. really good black coffee, honey, buttery, banana, caramel, treacle, banoffee pie, apricots… coming back loads of delicious sherry
  • Palate – Coffee candy, toffee, toasted raisin bread slathered in butter, raisin, dates, rolling around in heavy sherry with a great mouthfeel
  • Finish – A slow burn that tapers into sweet spice

This really was rather delicious! Generous sherry influence, quite satisfying in all ways.

The folks at Glen Garioch haven’t kept tasting notes on their website, however the folks over at Master of Malt have this to say:

Glen Garioch 15 Year Old has been aged in oloroso sherry casks and has a sweet and fruity character. The nose opens with dark berries and dried fruits, followed by sweet vanilla notes and a slight tartness. The palate is thick and full bodied, giving notes of dried fruits and cinnamon spice. A hint of heather honey appears before a long woody finish, with gentle spices throughout.

As of late 2019, you can still find this at The Whisky Exchange for approximately £125.

We also had these as part of our Highland Treat :

Interested in receiving more Whisky Lady posts? Why not follow on:

Douglas Laing’s Highland Blend Timorous Beastie 46.8%

Posted on by
4

With their inventive packaging, having a sense of whimsy, play and days of yore, the “Remarkable Regional Malts” series explores the five different regions of Scotland.

We began with Douglas Laing’s Highland blend …

Timorous Beastie 46.8%

  • Nose – Fruity, yoghurt, an agave-like quality, raw, barley mash, spice, light cream, caramel, baby puke, yeasty, honey sweet
  • Palate – Spice burn, a few remarked “tastes better than it smells”, quite peppery with more alcohol ‘beastie’ than timidity
  • Finish – Sharp, short, bitter

There was a mixed reaction to this one. The agave like aroma was akin to the “morning after an overindulgence of tequila”… Another found this was “something to be used for cleaning like solvent.” Yet another quipped “The rat is there on the label for a reason!”

While not horrifically bad, it was a bit like having peppery tequila.

Here’s what they have to say:

Douglas Laing’s Timorous Beastie, immortalised in Robert Burns’ famous Scots poem “To a Mouse”, was a timid, little field mouse. Echoing our national bard’s wit, ours is most certainly not for the fainthearted! This non coloured, non-chill-filtered Small Batch bottling is a marriage of appropriately aged and selected Highland Malts – including, amongst others, those distilled at Glen Garioch, Dalmore and Glengoyne distilleries.

Tasting notes:

  • Nose – Overridingly sweet on the nose, then warming to floral, light barley & spicy honeyed tones.
  • Palate – The palate opens in a spicy style – fructiferous, mellow, with sugary vanilla.
  • Finish – The finish is at first subtle, but runs to a sweet character that carries an oaky quality plus a late meringue style.

Photo: Nikoulina Berg

What were the other whisky blends explored?

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Glen Garioch 17 year (1996-2016) Cask No 3730 55.7%

Posted on by
2

After the absolutely stunning Glen Grant 60 year, dangerously drinkable Bowmore 12 distilled in the 1970s, the peculiar The Prestonfield Vintage 1972 Bowmore 16, we shifted gears to a meatier sherry style whisky from Adelphi‘s single cask bottling of Glen Garioch.

Adelphi Glen Garioch 1993 (note image from different year)

Glen Garioch 17 year (1996-2016) Cask No 3730 55.7% (Adelphi) 152 bottles

  • Nose – Top note of varnish, orange cream cookies or that fanta fizz, citrus zest, sweet honey, clove, a teasing nose that later revealed a musty quality – in a good way
  • Palate – Spicy, old style wood, sweet spice orange like clove studded oranges at Christmas, an almost brandy-like quality, red and green stewed apples, a dash of cocoa, continued to evolve taking on a meaty quality like a quality wagyu steak
  • Finish – Lovely chewy dates

There was a nicely mature quality to this dram, exceedingly smooth and no sense of it being full strength at 55.7%. A lovely sherry quality, more in keeping with what we normally expect – and that’s a mighty fine thing indeed!

What else did we sample in our Krishna Collection from July 2017?

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Canadian stash – Glen Garioch 21 year 43%

Posted on by
Reply

Not so long ago we sampled the Glen Garioch 1797 Founder’s Reserve, It was sufficiently interesting that when the Glen Garioch 21 year was on offer to join the “Canadian stash” from my aunt and uncle, I jumped at the chance!

Sample and photo courtesy of Whisky Lady's Aunt n Uncle

Sample and photo courtesy of Whisky Lady’s Aunt n Uncle

Here goes my sampling of the Glen Garrioch 21 year:

  • Colour – Dark straw
  • Nose – Lovely mint, faint sweet grass and hay, sweet vanilla, a bit floral
  • Taste – Gentle, flirty hint of peat, a light woodsy element, honey minty sweet with just enough spice
  • Finish – Easy, gentle, malty finish with just enough bitter at the end to remind you it was there
  • Water – Not a chance of adding! Already quite ‘thin’ so wouldn’t dare add a drop

This whisky goes down far too easily. Quite light at 43%, it is one of those dangerous drams that’s gone before you even realise it. I have to admit, I struggled to write notes as just enjoyed sipping! In all honesty, it isn’t terribly complex, think instead of a light summery romp! Eminently enjoyable and worth sampling if it comes your way.

For those not familiar with Glen Garioch, this highland distillery has Rachel Barrie as master distiller. She grew up near the distillery and you can read more about her introduction to the distillery here.

Here’s what others say:

This concludes my 9 bottle sampling from my fellow whisky aficionados aunt and uncle…. who just so happen to run a whisky tasting group in Fort Francis, Ontario, Canada. It was such a treat to enjoy these wee baby jars of whisky and try several drams I otherwise would have missed. So once again – my sincere thanks for the indulgence!!

Canadian stash

Canadian stash

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Glen Garioch 1797 Founder’s Reserve 48%

Posted on by
Reply

The Highlands are home to a few favourite whiskies from Balblair, Dalwhinnie, Edradour, Glendronach, Glenmorangie, Oban…  however, I must admit, Glen Garioch was one Highland whisky we missed.

So it was a treat when it popped up as part of a tasting session together with Ardbeg Corryvrecken and Jura Superstition.

2014-02-20-Ardbeg,GlenGarioch,Jura

Here’s what we found…

Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve 48% 

  • Colour – Pale straw
  • Nose – Floral bouquet, medicinal, moss, blue cheese, fungal element, sea scent, tamarind
  • Palate – Smooth, fresh pudina (mint), spice, pepper, bold, hint of citrus, delightfully complex
  • Finish – Lingers, spice, complexity remains
  • Water – Adding a dash of water doesn’t kill but equally did not enhance, however it did make the wet forest scent even more pronounced.

A clear favourite! The variation found in the nose followed through in the taste and finish. A very fine dram indeed!

If this is what the whisky makers were up to in 1797, then it is a mighty fine recipe and well worth being reincarnated in the ‘Founders Reserve’. Without hesitation, our merry malt tasters concluded it is one we hope to repeat, stock, savour and enjoy!

Glen Garioch 1797 Founders Reserve

As you can gather, back in 1797 in the Highlands of Aberdeen, Glen Garioch distillery opened its doors. This no age statement whisky takes its inspiration from those early days and is part of their staple offerings.

Here’s what the Glen Garioch folks have to say about the 1797 Founder’s Reserve:

  • Nose – Warm amber in appearance, sweet vanilla and subtle spice combine with fruitier green apple and grapefruits on the nose.
  • Palate – Butter cream and vanilla pave the way to fruity green apple skin and citrus cleanliness, leading to an elegant and subtle finish.

Read more about the distillery’s history here.

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on: