Tag Archives: Glentauchers

Friendly February Dram Exchange

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It was a surprisingly warm and sunny weekend for February. It was also a perfect opportunity for a few friends to get together and exchange a few drams. Some were already open. Others had been waiting for just this kind of evening.

We had 13 whiskies on offer and the hardest decision was where to start and where to stop? What did we have displayed to explore?

We chose to begin with the youngest and most recently opened distillery from the Hebridean Island distillery Raasay… Their aim is to produce a lightly peated whisky with rich flavourts. This was my first sample of the “real” Raasay as my earlier brush was a “pre” offering in their intended style “While we wait.”

We thought this would be a light dram to whet our appetite for more… what we discovered was a bit different!

Raasay Single Malt 46.4%

  • Nose – Fresh, young and vibrant, malty and maritime, slight smoke, more herbal than floral or fruity, after time a whiff of smoked meats
  • Palate – Surprisingly peaty – much more pronounced than anticipated, and yet not a “heavy” peat, the herbal quality follows through, with some bitter tannins, nuts, and quite autumnal
  • Finish – Cinnamon fading into a faintly bitter finish
  • Water – Initially didn’t think would be needed, but worth trying. For me, it became sweeter with a mineral or granite element
  • Revisit – Much later, I revisited the empty glass, the aromas were ashy, a bit like the remaining long-forgotten antique kitchen fireplace, from generations before

The thing about whiskies, slowing down to discern different aromas are the memories a smell triggers. For me, the hint of smoked meats took me back to Montreal. The palate overall was smooth and pleasant.

What more do we know? Their aim?

Our flagship Isle of Raasay Single Malt Whisky, 46.4% ABV, natural colour, non-chill filtered.

Lightly peated with rich dark fruit flavours.

We set out to emulate some older styles of Hebridean single malt whiskies, with subtle, fragrant smokiness balanced with dark fruit flavours.

It was matured in six different casks – this is what they have to say:

Two Isle of Raasay spirits – peated and unpeated – are matured separately in first fill Rye whiskey, fresh Chinkapin oak and first fill Bordeaux red wine casks. These six recipe casks marry together to create the perfect dram with real elegance, complexity and depth of character.

With this knowledge, we could see where the tannins came from, however elegant? Complex? And dark fruits? Not in what we found, however, it was an interesting start!

Next up? A revisit of a former friend – Aureum – which is unfortunately no more. What did we think?

Ziegler’s Aureum 7-year Single Malt (2008 – 2015) Chateau Lafite Rothschild 47%

  • Colour – Gold
  • Nose – Welcome! These are the kinds of aromas that explain why we were so captivated by Aureum. Sweet chestnuts, green and fresh, fruity… then deepens into chocolate, sweet vanilla custard then green apple, then a dessert feast of apple pie with vanilla ice cream!
  • Palate – First sip was a bit odd, then once calibrated to the unique style of Aureum with its use of chestnut wood, we found it to be smooth, sweet… getting sweeter with each sip!
  • Finish – Lingers with more sweet wood

Overall it was a clear reminder that this was once a distinctive distillery producing unique drams – aiming for craft and quality. I can only repeat that it is such a pity that Ziegler abandoned their decade-long foray into such single malts to go down the Freud route.

We then moved on to Ireland, to discover Ireland’s West Cork was nothing like the sociable dram we anticipated….

West Cork Calvados Cask Finish 43%

  • Colour – Light straw
  • Nose – No mistaking there is Calvados involved here! It reminded me of the kind of juice we used to make from our garden apples – pulp and seeds and all would go in. Then it shifted to something that could best be described as fresh-pressed coffee
  • Palate – We found it a bit “pushy” at first. Young, a bit brash, and curiously unfinished, dry and bitter with a hint of nuts of some kind
  • Finish – Limited, what there was we found bitter, like chewing an espresso bean
  • Water – We hoped it might bring out some other element – instead just kicked up the spice

Overall this didn’t attract new fans. Now I’ve had a few mighty fine whiskies with Calvados finish. Mackmyra Äppelblom 46.1% and Rampur’s Jugalbandi come to mind…  The folks over at West Cork don’t try to over-sell this as a complex dram, instead, point imbibers in the direction of cocktails – a ginger mule to be more precise.

I then steered us towards a pair of Chorlton‘s – a contrast and comparison of two Glentauchers. Both sherry casks, both lovely just in different ways – both deserving their own posts – just check out Glentauchers 8 year and Glentauchers 14 year! We then cracked open some exceptional chocolates – what a fabulous pairing!

That is where our journeys diverged. For me, I thought to continue the chocolate pairing and thought to revisit the Super Sonic Sherry Blend and the Amrut Port Pipe Peated. Whereas others explored the Amrut, Indri, Kamet, and Staoisha. Overall it was simply a lovely evening and a nice way to keep at bay the dull dreary February blues!

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Chorlton – Glentauchers 8 year 61.2%

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Double trouble or twice charmed? In the case of Chorlton‘s  La Nouvelle Vague April 2023 releases, spoiler alert! Both this Glentauchers 8 year and the Glentauchers 14 year were marvelous – in different ways.

Glentauchers 8 year (2023) 61.2% 291 Bottles

  • Nose – Oh yum! Sticky toffee pudding, jammy, a voluminous dessert, small tight berries packed with tart and sweet, joined by pineapple, then buttery chocolate eclairs, apple sauce with cinnamon
  • Palate – Very full and robust! Dark plum skins, so intoxicating and delicious, rich chocolate cream, then black forrest cake, then juicy ripe berries – especially the delightful red currents we get in Germany, incredibly satisfying… is that a wee bit of nut butter or hazelnut cream? Mixed in with loads of sweet spices
  • Finish – Long, strong, and rewarding… even a bit savoury rather then back to sweet towards the end
  • Water – If it is even possible, fruitier?1 Like a candy shop from red licorice to gumdrops to candied orange peel

Overall we found this lively and colourful… practically addictive in its exuberance. There is no subtle shyness here…. this 8 year is proud to flaunt its sherry influences! There is a quixotic charm, and though it is on the edge of being overwhelming, it is simply too good to resist.

I tasted it over two evenings – the first which was a friendly evening February – there was little doubt this was the “hit” of the evening. However the next time around, my companions preferred the gentler and more genteel qualities of the Glentauchers 14 year. Both are frankly fabulous – just in different ways.

From Chorlton, we have the following description and tasting notes:

Next up we have an 8-year-old Glentauchers matured in a first-fill sherry hogshead*. Another sherried Glentauchers, you say? Well, yes, as this one’s such a fun contrast.

The nose starts with chocolate cream, hazelnut nougat, butterscotch and overripe banana, then heads in a distinctly savoury direction with veg stock cubes, dried mushrooms, parsley stalks and OK Sauce. Little hints of old tool shed, liquorice, and coal tar. It’s big and boisterous, and very changeable as it breathes or when water is added (prunes, kejap manis and cocoa powder in that case, since you ask).

The palate has a thick texture, starting on chocolate cornflake cakes, fudge and café crème then developing on a mix of jammy red fruits (redcurrant jelly? cherry jam?) and umami-ness (walnuts, bouquet garnis, BBQ meat, sesame paste). With water it’s softer, with banana wine, Cadbury’s Mini Rolls, chocolate orange and ginger.

Where the 14yo is elegant and collected, the 8yo is lairy and talkative. You do still get that sense of fruity Glentauchers spirit at the heart though. This cask produced 291 bottles at 61.2% and they are available for £59.50 each.

* – just for full transparency: this cask sprung a leak and had to be housed for a short time before bottling in a refill hogshead.

I purchased this from WhiskyBase for a mark-up to open in Nurnberg one fine evening in February 2024.

Here are a few more from La Nouvelle Vague series:

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Chorlton – Glentauchers 14 year 61.6%

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Sometimes waiting isn’t easy. That was very much the case with this Glentauchers 14 year, which was bottled in April 2023 but waited patiently until February 2024 to be opened in Nurnberg together with its younger cousin – the Glentauchers 8 year.

Knowing from the official tasting notes that the younger would be more robust, we began with the older expression.

Glentauchers 14 year (2023) 61.6% 610 Bottles

  • Nose – Oh my! Creme brulee, creamy French vanilla ice cream, yellow plums, loads going on – from brandy to sticky toffee pudding to crunchy lemon drop candies, then a sweet bread like fresh piping hot brioche… whilst there were many different elements, all were restrained and elegant not forceful
  • Palate – A bit of spice to start (no surprise at 61.16%!), however, it quickly settled into a nuanced and surprisingly delicate palate, honey, smooth and immensely satisfying we found a “rum topf” dimension – a kind of rummy fruit compote to which seasonal  fruits and berries such as strawberries, Johanisbeer, red currents and more are added over the year to be then enjoyed after boiling down to create an intense flavourful, also a resinous quality
  • Finish – What a lovely long lingering finish… retaining the fruity dessert qualities
  • Water – Yes please! So many more lovely things come forward. Joining the fruit and berry compote is a delightful red licorice, kumquats, all drenched in delicious honey
  • Revisit – Much later in the evening we returned… It reminded me of angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream! The citrus twist was more pronounced. Others found ground nutmeg, ginger, and more sweet spices

Overall it was impossible not to be enchanted by this elegant and refined whisky. We simply fell in love with BOTH the Glentauchers 14 year or 8 year – tough to decide if one was preferred over the other – however with the first tasting fresh from the closed bottle, the “consumption vote” favoured the sherried younger dram. In a later evening, the 14 year was vastly preferred for its classic elegant styling. Just goes to show mood and company make a difference. All I know is that I’m happy a bit remains to be enjoyed another day!

What did David have to say? The following is an extract from his email…

Back to more familiar terrain! This is a 14-year-old Glentauchers matured in a refill sherry butt

I don’t generally experience synaesthesia, but those nose on this is very “yellow” – I get buttery brioche, good panettone (try the naturally-leavened one that Pollen do at Christmas if you ever get the chance), soft marzipan, peaches and yellow plums, banana yoghurt and honey. In the background is a little chalky earthiness and chocolate biscuit.

The palate is honeyed, with crème pât (I can’t get my mind out of the cake shop), stone fruits and lemon. The development is malty, with flapjacks, chocolate brownies, then sweet black tea and (very distinct) golden sultanas in the aftertaste. Adding water amps up the zestiness, with tangerine, yellow flowers, pear cake and lemon drops popping up.

Very elegant and cakey, this, with the refill sherry adding a gentle richness to the underlying fruity spirit. The butt produced 610 bottles at 61.1% and they are available for £79.50 each.

Part of Chorlton‘s  La Nouvelle Vague series from April 2023, I purchased this directly from Chorlton, which rested initially in London before I had a chance to bring it to Deutschland.

Here are a few more from La Nouvelle Vague series:

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Bonus Glentauchers 2005 43%

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Ding dong! Delivery time! This time a trio of Chorlton’s from the Netherland’s Whisky.base… as I unpacked the box, this little mini came tumbling out…

Now a bonus miniature is a kind gesture… however when it is from the fabulously reliable Gordon & Macphail indie bottler and just so happens to be a distillery – Glentauchers – that tends to produce balanced, lightly fruity drams in a “classic” Speyside style…. well this is indeed a welcome gift!

What exactly did they send?

Glentauchers 13/14 year (2005 / 13 Mar 2019) 43% (Gordon & Macphail)

  • Colour – Pale straw
  • Nose – Syrupy, fruity, a bit of caramel, vanilla… then it opened into a fruit basket – ripe pears, a hint of fresh mint, a squirt of citrus
  • Palate – Hmmm….. kumquats, then is that a hint of smoke? It has a nice bitter quality, woodsy spice, and oily, with some of the fruits on the nose adding just a dash of sweetness on the palate
  • Finish – Dry, a bit bitter, more of that curious smoke, surprisingly has a mineral element too

Overall it was a pleasant dram – my description doesn’t really do it justice – in part as I’m still a bit hampered by the post-COVID impact on my sense of smell.

This 2005 Glentauchers was quite reasonably priced at Eur 62.50 – at least here in Europe.

Curious about other brushes with Glentauchers? Check out a few of our tasting experiences over the years:

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Birthday Drams – Glentauchers 8 year 48.2% (Sansibar)

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It seems a bit ironic that I first discovered independent whisky bottler Sansibar in Singapore, thanks to La Maison du Whisky. At the time, living in Europe was not on the horizon… my life was instead firmly based in Asia, unpacking my bags in Mumbai.

However I’ve since discovered that Sansibar have developed an impressive range! Much more than their “classic” black bottles which I could buy in Singapore. Many of their more colourful and fanciful labels I realized later were displayed in Berlin’s Union Jack where you can also find examples of their joint collaboration with Spirit Shop Selection displaying with their Samurai or Chinese Theatre Masks and many other series.

Fast forward and I now live in Germany, home to Sansibar… however I’ve yet to buy a bottle in Europe! Instead I came home to Mumbai to pull out from the whisky cabinet this delightful dram from a much earlier Singapore to India trip.

We began by giving our gents a chance to taste the freshly opened bottle…

Glentauchers 8 year 48.2% (Sansibar)

  • Nose – Mmm…. lemony, candied orange peel, vanilla sponge cake dusted with sugar, marmalade, lots of candied fruit, milk bread and sugar… the more it opened up, the fruitier it became, also revealing sweet spices to join caramel apples… delicious!!
  • Palate – 1st sip was a bit sharp and chilli spicy, then sour lemon drops that melt into honey sweetness, then shifted into wonderful fruits, cinnamon spice, followed by a yummy toffee coffee twist
  • Finish – Long tasty finish

A classic highland whisky. Completely worth the wait! As we sipped, the more we enjoyed… like basking in the sun in a warm summer’s day. An absolutely delightful dram.

As for the ladies turn? Just a scant couple days later…

Glentauchers 8 year 48.2% (Sansibar)

  • Nose – Wow! All sorts of sweets. Honey and buttery caramel, brioche, nutty, cereals, mmmm…. delicious toffee
  • Palate – Sweet spices, substance, oily with a gorgeous mouthfeel, toffee… almost mocha… indulgent without being heavy
  • Finish – What a lovely long finish, apple and red cinnamon heart candies

We found it sophisticated and romantic, something comforting that simply puts you into a great mood.. one of those happy whiskies that invite you to just slow down, relax and enjoy the ride. Utterly charming

Our best comment of the evening? This whisky is like a much needed “socially distanced hug!”

Is it young? Certainly! However clearly a quality cask and a great way to kick off an evening of classic Scottish malts. This particular Glentauchers is from Sansibar’s Classic series with only 244 bottles from a single cask.

What do the folks at Sansibar have to say?

  • Colour – Amber
  • Nose – Mint, fresh sweetness, whole milk chocolate
  • Taste – Chocolate with chilli, toffee & coffee, aromatic wood influence
  • Exit – Soothing warmth with unobtrusive charm

When sold in Europe, it was available for EUR 69. However I picked this beauty up in Singapore for SG$197 from La Maison du Whisky at the 2017 Whisky Live – practically double the price! But completely worth it and so happy could finally share it with friends in India. We opened this bottle in Mumbai, September 2021.

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North Star’s Glentauchers 11 year (2007/2018) 58.9%

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From the Speyside region, we picked the gentler Glautachers as our first selection for our North Star Series 5 evening with our Whisky Ladies of Mumbai guest reviewer Nikoulina Berg. 

Photo: Team Table

Niko knows her stuff. Experienced in the F&B industry with a career that has spanned Germany, US, Spain, China, Singapore and now India, Niko has a certain flare for food and fine spirit and wines.

Currently based in Mumbai, Niko went from heading operations at The Table and Le Pain Quotidien, she went fully independent in 2018 to bring her expertise to advise existing and new hospitality companies on everything from guest experience, IT, operational excellence, entire concept creation to execution. More recently in December 2018, she launched ‘Sorrentina’, a classic Italian all-day dining restaurant and India’s largest gourmet grocer’s ‘Foodhall’ very first restaurant in Santacruz, Mumbai.

With the Whisky Ladies, Niko has shared Bavarian whisky (Slyrs), several Japanese whiskies (Akashi, Mars Iwai, Nikka Grain, Super Nikka) and from La Maison du Whisky That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s Glentaucher’s 20 year.

So what did she think of North Star’s 11 year Glentauchers by comparison?

Glentauchers 11 year (April 2007/May 2018) 58.9%

  • Color: light golden 
  • Nose: lots of fruit! then after a couple of minutes of letting it breathe notes of sherry, vanilla, smokey, a bit like s’mores, peaches, canned pear, minty fresh fumes
  • Palate: salty dark licorice, very strong, later coats your tongue with an oddly taste if boiled milk or maybe a version of dulce de leche
  • Finish: very salty, keeps burning on your tongue – medium finish. For some of the ladies a harsh burn. Later anise seed, liquorice, coating of sherry  
  • Water: very different characteristics with water – soil, vegetale, not the grassy type though, less burn. If don’t add water but rather have a sip of water in between – brings out a burnt caramel taste 
  • Overall: It’s an absolutely beautiful whisky and definitely one of my favourites from the series we tasted! 

I prefer it without water but it needs some time to unfold fully. 

After the Glentaucher’s 20 YO from ‘The Boutique-y’ I am starting to see a pattern with my notes and ratings of Glentauchers drams!

If you can get your hands on this – get it while you can! Highly recommended!

North Star Spirit’s shares it was matured in a refill bourbon hogshead, finished in a PX Sherry, un-chill filtered, natural colour… and have this to say:

  • Nose: My gran’s syrup sponge pudding
  • Palate: Thick cream, condensed milk just before the tablet sets
  • Finish: Touch of aniseed with a delicate sherry coating

For those curious about cost, this whisky was purchased online in July 2018 from Master of Malt for £53.76 / USD 70 / INR 5,080 and was opened in November 2018.

Don’t miss the other Whisky Ladies guest reviews of North Star Series 005 whiskies covering 5 Scottish regions:

Original Group’s North Star Discovery:

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That Boutique-y Whisky Company Glentauchers 20 year for LMdW

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That Boutique-y Whisky Company has crafted trade-mark labels and fine contents. One of our Mumbai Whisky Ladies picked this particularly bottle up some time ago and we’ve been patiently waiting for th right opportunity.

On the label you can see Thierry Bénitah (La Maison du Whisky CEO and son of its founder, Georges Bénitah) in the 1980s, surrounded by classic whisky bottlings and wearing a particularly snappy turtleneck…

Glentauchers 20 year (Boutique-y Whisky Company) Batch 4, 46.9% bottled for La Maison du Whisky with 327 bottles

  • Nose – Hazelnut cream, wood, almond, also some ripe fruits, maple syrup, oodles and oodles of butterscotch, a bit of menthol, green almond
  • Palate – A real tingle and oomph! A bit bitter, some sweet spice, caramel fudge and nougut, with a bit of tart sour sauce, berries
  • Finish – Spice like white pepper

Some loved this one. Others found the blend so approachable that following with this single malt was a bit of a jolt.

As this whisky came out some time ago, you won’t find it on the “That Boutique-Y Whisky Company” website, however can track down some tasting notes at The Master of Malt:

  • Nose: Fresh and floral with hints of violet and honey. Stewed berries with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Butterscotch.
  • Palate: Roasted chestnuts and black pepper. Apricot jam, quince and a whisper of cinnamon.
  • Finish: Sodabread with salted butter, floral malt once again, cumin and dried raspberries.

Our core focus was a trio with a wee ‘appetizer’ blend:

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The Appetizer – Ballantine’s 17 year Glentauchers 40%

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When one of our Whisky Ladies mentioned she would be bringing a special 20 year old Glentauchers bottled by that Boutique-y Whisky Company for La Maison du Whisky, I suddenly remembered I had an old small bottle of a series presented by Ballentine’s to show off the respective character of key elements in their blend.

So pulled it out, dusted it off and hoped it wouldn’t be completely oxidized and terrible… we were in luck! It had stood the test of Mumbai storage conditions rather well!

Ballantine’s Glentauchers

Ballantine’s 17 year Glentauchers 40%

  • Nose – Fruity, nutty, lemon, butterscotch, ice cream
  • Palate – Lemon cherry, very smooth, buttery, light and balanced, a bit of chilli, slightly bitter
  • Finish – Bitter burnt caramel

Overall this whisky was pronounced “Yum!” Simply an exceedingly easy “appetizer” of a whisky. Far from being a disaster, it was actually quite delicious. Clearly this blend had stood the test of time.

What followed was a trio of single malts:

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Whisky Ladies Contributor’s Choice – Glentauchers, Balvenie, Talisker

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When doing whisky tastings, themes are great but sometimes going a bit random is even better! And that’s exactly what we did this month with the Whisky Ladies…. we invited contributions and then discovered what they brought!

What did we explore in our Ladies Choice evening?

Our core focus was a trio with a wee ‘appetizer’ blend thrown in at the last minute:

Curious to know more? Just click on the whisky links to read what we thought!

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Sansibar’s Glentauchers, Spicely Sweet + Smokey Peated

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At Whisky Live Singapore 2017, the Sansibar booth was manned by a local bartender who was so passionate about what the folks at Sansibar are doing, it was positively infectious.

Thanks to La Maison du Whisky, I’d already encountered the Islay Malt 8 year and brought it back for a special undisclosed distilleries evening.

Now, as it was at Whisky Live, it means my impressions were fleeting… however enough to cement an opinion that Sansibar is worth continuing to keep an eye on!

Glentauchers 8 year 48.2%

  • Nose – Soft, sweet, lightly elegant
  • Palate – Not just sweetness and light, a bit bitter, toffee, butterscotch raisin
  • Finish – Bitter nuts

Overall this is a light desert in a bottle.

Spicily Sweet 48% – Blended Small Batch, Batch #1 “Sunset”

  • Nose – Very fruity, aaaah… yum!
  • Palate – Smooth, sweet, soft fruits, light spice
  • Finish – Here is where the spice peeps out even more

My initial thought was this is a summer dram – sun soaked fruits – with a name that perfectly personifies its name “spicily sweet”! It was so enjoyable that I thought folks back in Mumbai might enjoy it too. And sure enough, “Sunset” closed an evening exploring independent blends…

Smokey Peated 48% – Blended Small Batch, Batch #1 “Signal Fire”

  • Nose – Bacon, wood fire, fruit behind the smoke like pineapple and other tropical fruits
  • Palate – Holy toledo peat! Turbo charged peat yet not in the least harsh, more fruits
  • Finish – Captive ash. No messing with it peat. Bit of a pepper chaser

I thought of the Sansibar Islay Malt 8 year cask strength which brought an elegance to peat. By contrast the “Signal Fire” was unabashed peat.

Quite interesting to try this trio and I planned to return to continue sampling… however all the other whiskies I had hoped to try were polished off. Clearly others found the offerings also appealing.

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