Three rather old Glenlossie

May 26, 2013

Three rather old Glenlossie

Glenlossie is another name I've been neglecting a bit in the past, shame on me. But now that new bottles from the silent stills are really getting scarcer, former underdogs should get more exposure on this lousy little website.

Glenlossie 25 yo 1984/2011 (56.9%, Artist by La Maison du Whisky, sherry butt, cask #2531, 516 bottles)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: we're having a combination of ripe western fruits, especially apples and gooseberries, with a rather mentholated, fragrant oak. I get sandalwood, for instance, as well as quite some caramel and café latte. Humidor, silverware. With water: plenty of liquorice now, as well as a little rubber (bands). Mouth (neat): very rich, very fruity and only slightly rubbery (faint tastes of distillation). Sweet barley, cherries, Guinness, bitter oranges and 'spices for mulled wine', especially cinnamon and cloves. Maybe also a little nutmeg and juniper berries. It's pretty heavy. With water: I'm afraid it does not swim too well on the palate, the rubber comes out a bit. Finish: long, maybe a tad sour? Overripe oranges and pepper. Comments: it's a fairly rough spice game, a spectacular one. Very good but maybe a little more smooooothness would have been welcome? SGP:552 - 84 points.

Glenlossie 38 yo 1975/2013 (46,6%, The Whisky Agency 'Private Stock' 2013, bourbon hogshead, 91 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: maybe there's something slightly coastal at first nosing, which is funny. Seashells? Would rather go on with quite more beeswax, plums, pollen and a little cough syrup. Also manzanilla, walnuts, cigar tobacco... It's a very complex nose. Mouth (neat): it's a case where the oak's very obvious right from the start but doesn't represent a problem. So a lot of cinnamon again, orange zests and apple peelings, nutmeg... The fruits come later, first tangerines and then papayas, all that with a funny fizziness. It's almost sparkling! Right, not quite... Also fresh melons. Finish: long and grassier. Some cinchona, cumin and touches of artisan gin. No soap though ;-). Comments: I'd say this baby's very entertaining. It's no polished old dram, it's all rather restless and even provocative. SGP:561 - 89 points.

Glenlossie 1961/2007 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, Rare Old, Refill Sherry)

Some quick maths tell us that this baby's more than 45 years old, while it's still for sale here and there for... +/-155 b****y Euros. Colour: deep gold. Nose: lovely nose! Starts with a huge cinnamon cake, then we have earl grey tea, a little sawdust, custard, rum baba, touches of earth and humus... It's all quite subtle, we're somewhere between an old wine cellar and a carpenter's workshop. Let's only hope the palate won't be weakish or too drying. Mouth: an apple pie with plenty of cinnamon and mint. Sure the oak's loud, but it's more than bearable. Black tea, then orange squash. Finish: shortish, on a blend of orange juice and ginger tonic. The aftertaste is a little drying, as expected. Comments: a crying shame that I do not take prices into account with my little scores! Maybe I should? SGP:361 - 84 points.

Check the index of all Glenlossie I've tasted so far