Glen Elgin to the power of 10

November 22, 2013

Glen Elgin to the power of 10

I've been neglecting my Glen Elgins and they've been piling up. They're not the only ones. Sometimes I'm feeling like a landlubber bailing water from an inflatable canoe using a sherry copita... So, let's have a few old or oldish Glen Elgins if you agree... Maybe we could even start with an OB, but not, cough, cough, just any OB...

Glen Elgin 15 yo (60.2%, OB, Manager's Dram, 1988)

Yes it is a crazy idea to start a session with such a sherried monster, but I thought we'd do something different today, while taking our time. We already tried the 16 yo Manager's Dram bottled five years later in 1993 and loved it (WF 90). Colour: dark amber. Nose: oh sugar! This is emphatically sherried, totally avalanchesque and amazingly rich... And yet it's clean and straightforward, compact, focussed... Excuse me? Well, that would be chocolate ganache, cigars, old balsamico and glazed chestnuts. With water: absolutely superb. Orangettes and black chocolate with a few drops of truffle oil and very, very old balsamic vinegar and just a little pitch. Mouth (neat): BANG! It's as oily as oil (need a spoon), yet kind of silky and very elegant, with tons of bitter chocolate and some kind of salmiaky tobacco. You can't make much heavier than this, and yet it's not stuffing at all. Mysterious and amazing. With water: perfect, just perfect. Bitter oranges, chocolate, also more prunes this time, some liquorice, a wee touch of salt... Finish: extremely long and now slightly herbal to 'lift' it, which makes it even more perfect. A tad Jaegery in the aftertaste, which works very well. Peppermint. Comments: an utter beauty. The managers at SMD - Scottish Malt Distillers had it good (I think I write that every time, don't I?) SGP:572 - 94 points.

Oh my, that was such a stupid idea, how could we go on? Let's have a long break and start all this again (...)

Glen Elgin 16 yo 1995/2012 (56.4%, James MacArthur, Old Masters, bourbon, cask #1660)

This baby should be the opposite of the MD. Colour: white wine. Nose: you bet, this is almost totally naked, very close to the barley, with just a little smoke and a touch of wax and oil, then more cut grass. Pure, crystal-clean malt whisky from some great stills. With water: I wouldn't say it's the greatest swimmer ever but these added touches of lemonade and chalk are pleasant. Mouth (neat): excellent mouth feel, this is almost plain beer, only at a much higher strength. There's even a feeling of hops. Also orange zests and a little honey to make it, well, sweeter. With water: very good, malt and grass and lemon with a touch of wax. Raw and natural. Finish: long, all on malted barley, with only the slightest touch of oak. Comments: does what it says on the label: "A honest bottle and a good friend" 'Robert Burns). SGP:342 - 86 points.

Glen Elgin 25 yo 1985/2011 (44.7%, The Whisky Fair, 10th Anniversary, bourbon hogshead, 232 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: starts with a lot of sweet oak, café latte, caramel, vanilla and, more generally, fudge. Werther's Originals and then a little more caramelised apple pie, tarte tatin and such. Starbuck's mad hazelnut coffee (bwaah!) After ten minutes, more balanced notes of broken branches and a little mint. Needs time to get past the heavy caramel. Mouth: we're now drinking those caramels infused in a mix of Chartreuse and vodka. It's actually quite spectacular but you really have to like these sweet profiles. Oops, almost forgot to mention vanilla and jellybeans. Finish: medium length, with a little more ginger and white pepper from the oak. Slightly eau-de-vie-ish aftertaste. Comments: a very funny dram. Was it ex-ultra-charred 'alligator' bourbon oak? SGP:641 - 80 points.

Glen Elgin 27 yo 1984/2011 (45.1%, Liquid Sun, bourbon, 207 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: the best of both worlds, sitting right between the JMcA and the TWF. So there is some vanilla and café au lait but there are also these beautiful notes of oranges as well as these waxy touches that would remind you of some kind of smoother and rounder Clynelish. Also cut apples, fresh walnuts and almonds (and hazelnuts) plus just a little fresh butter. Beautiful fresh nose. Mouth: absolutely excellent and, in a way, even closer to Clynelish, with this salty side, the wax, the oils, the citrus fruits and the honeydew. Some grass as well, to keep it 'nervous'. I wouldn't say this is a surprise but quite. Finish: pretty long, grassier. Green tea. More salt in the aftertaste, this really is salty. Glen Elgin matured on Islay? Comments: maybe not too approachable but it's wonderful malt. Besides, all this salt is very funny (and salty). SGP:552 - 89 points.

Glen Elgin 27 yo 1984/2011 (46.1%, Thosop Import, bourbon hogshead, 213 bottles)

This one should be close to the Liquid Sun. Let's see... Colour: light gold. Nose: they're close but it's not the same whisky. This one has less vanilla and rather more 'oak', a little more beer as well, some kind of earthy lemons and tangerines and then a little more honey and a little less wax. In a way, it's rather gentler and fruitier, although the bourbony side never stops growing after one minute or two. There's also something slightly metallic (aluminium, if you like). You have to wait a little but I find this nose complex and pretty beautiful. Mouth: same profile as the Liquid Sun, maybe with more tropicality (ha!) and always these little touches of metal. Quite a saltines too (remember, there's no salt in whisky - and no strawberries either). Finish: long, vivid, on oranges, salt and vanilla. That vanilla becomes really big in the aftertaste, which isn't its nicest part. Comments: I like this one almost as much as its bro but it's a little less straight and, say 'immaculate'. Right, a tad dirtier. Very good, though. SGP:551 - 87 points.

Time to try a bunch of 1975s...

Glen Elgin 35 yo 1975/2010 (46.1%, Whisky-Fässle, bourbon)

Glen Elgin 35 yo 1975/2010 (46.1%, Whisky-Fässle, bourbon)

Colour: light gold. Nose: very orchardy, I'd say. A basket full of summer fruits, juicy apples, pears, greengages and gooseberries. Also a little ginger tonic, a little chalk, parsley, lime honey and... well, that's pretty all. It's very fresh, uncomplicated and pretty un-35yo, but it's well mature. Mouth: exactly the same profile as on the nose. Same fruits, chalk and ginger tonic. Becomes a little drying and maybe too peppery. I like these batches but I wouldn't kill for a bottle. Maybe not even for a cask. Finish: relatively long, with more honey and 'green' elements, skins, peelings and teas. Bitter aftertaste. Comments: very, very all right, but no real magic. A young old one, in a way. Now I remember why I left so many 1975s sitting on my shelves... SGP:651 - 85 points.

Glen Elgin 1975/2011 (46.8%, Malts of Scotland, Angel's Choice, bourbon hogshead, cask #11024, 47 bottles)

47 bottles, greedy angles indeed. Colour: light gold. Nose: pretty much the same as the Fässle, this one has maybe just a little more mint and metal. Other than that, same orchard fruits, same kind of honeyed notes and similar slightly chalky side. Enjoyable. Mouth: same feeling, please read above. Maybe a notch thicker and more honeyed, which works well. Also notes of grapes (chasselas?) and this wee chalkiness. Finish: a little longer this time, with more oomph but also even more green things. Herbs, fruit skins... Comments: very good, actually. Needs a little time... And it's not too bitter or oaky! SGP:561 - 87 points.

Glen Elgin 36 yo 1975/2011 (48.2%, The Whisky Agency, The Perfect Dram, bourbon hogshead, 134 bottles)

Another pretty micro one. Colour: gold. Nose: samish, obviously. There's maybe a little more oak, a bigger presence, something better focused... But well, it's pretty much the same whisky. Starkrimson apples and light honey. I'd really like to do these 1975s justice but it's very hard to have them all in a row. Yeah, like, you're going to feel sorry for me :-). Mouth: same feeling. More oak, more bigness. It's also oilier and relatively spicier. Apple pie with grated ginger and a large bowl of green tea. Finish: long but with also a bigger bitterness. A little acrid, but I have to say I like that, it keeps your palate alive. In a way. Comments: a little biting, but quality remains high - if not very high in my little moleskine book (what?) SGP:561 - 87 points.

Very good but no easy whiskies, but what wouldn't we do for the cause?

Glen Elgin 35 yo 1975/2011 (51.1%, The Whisky Agency, bourbon hogshead, 186 bottles)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: extremely close to the previous 1975 by the honourable Agency, maybe a wee notch more mineral but other than that, and despite a higher strength here, both whiskies are almost undistinguishable. Well, as I said, this one has maybe a little more chalk, limestone, clay... Mouth: yeah, same. Variations on an apple, teas, herbs and honey pots. Maybe also a little more mint from the oak? And maybe green bananas? Finish: long and, just like the previous one, a little green and biting. Comments: there's no reasons whatsoever why I would come up with a different score. Good stuff, excellent stuff, but it doesn't really thrill me. Must be me. SGP:561 - 87 points.

All right, one last 1975 and this one is brand new...

Glen Elgin 37 yo 1975/2013 (47.6%, The First Editions, bourbon hogshead, 84 bottles)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: yes! This one is rounder, softer, better polished, and reminds me more of the very excellent 1984 Liquid Sun than of the other 1975s. We're actually having a kind of blend of all things honeyed (comb, nectar, beehive wood...) with the same kinds of chalky notes as in the others, plus these orchard fruits, first apples as almost always. Now this is a nice nose! Mouth: it's simply zestier than the other 1975s, and I enjoy that. Oranges join the apples again, marmalade, herbs and spices from the oak, honeys and honeydews... And maybe these green bananas again? Finish: long, oakier and spicier, but maybe a notch less green and biting, maybe thanks to a higher dose of good old American vanillin. Comments: great. The 1984 Liquid Sun remains ahead of the pack, but this older baby came close. SGP:551 - 88 points.

That's enough, no more indie Glen Elgins until... Quite a few weeks. Make that months!

(thank you Tom for having killed this session with your Manager's Dram - agreed, that was entirely my fault.)

Check the index of all Glen Elgin I've tasted so far