March 20, 2014

Glenturret around the late seventies

Today we’ll have a few Glenturret from roughly the same vintages, but first a younger expression as the aperitif. In my exprience Glenturret can be very on/off.

Glenturret 15 yo 1990/2005 (51.7%, Blackadder, Raw Cask, hogshead, cask #1239, 308 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: but where have all the ‘chemical’ Glenturrets gone? This is absolutely lovely, with baskets of fresh garden fruits, peaches, plums, apples… And on top of that, this very peculiar grassiness that, granted, could go towards chemicals in other bottlings. But not here, and there are also plenty of grapefruits. This starts well. With water: zests and almond oil. Perfect. Mouth (neat): clean fresh, fruity, zesty, citrusy, grassy, flawless. Perfect strength and perfect body. I’m not sure we should add anything else, should we. With water: more of all that. Perfect. Finish: not too long but always perfectly fresh and fruity. Peach syrup with lemon juice in the aftertaste. Comments: one of the hidden gems that one can still find at auctions for very fair amounts. One of the drinking bottle hunter’s preferred, I’d say. SGP:641 - 90 points.

Glenturret 19 yo 1978/1997 (51.5%, Signatory, cask #344, 290 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: a huge difference, it’s a much greasier, oilier whisky. Actually it does reek of olive oil, then clay and chalk, carbon paper, plasticine… This is a profile that could be found in abundance ten years ago. The nose is pleasant, not only because it’s highly unusual, but the palate could be totally wrecked in my experience. Well see, but meanwhile… With water: haha, manure! Horse dung! New wellingtons (that was needed). Mouth (neat): indeed, its one the strange ones for sure, with some plastic and paraffin coming through the oranges and grapefruits, but it remains balanced and certainly not terrible. There’s also a lot of lemon. With water: now way! Doesn’t swim – on the palate. Becomes too chemical. Finish: long, hesitating between the farm, the plastics and citrus fruits. Comments: citrus saved this very strange and very entertaining one. A bottle to add to a blind tasting. SGP:461 - 78 points (because of the fun).

Glenturret 33 yo 1980/2014 (42,8%, The Whisky Agency, refill hogshead, 253 bottles)

Colour: light gold. Nose: it’s certainly one from the better batches, as we’re having a perfect, light yet aromatic profile made of many fresh fruits. That starts with peaches and apricots, goes on with plums (especially ripe mirabelles and zwetchkes), just before wee whiffs of fresh mint and dill start to pop out. Also, maybe, touches of sweet beer of high quality. I won’t quote any brands, simply because I just couldn’t. Mouth: absolutely excellent, fresh, light, fruity, delicate, very elegant… This time I also find quite some rosehip tea and rather more tropical fruits such as guavas. Maybe it’s a tad fragile altogether, but as the oak remained rather unobtrusive, it all works very well. Finish: maybe a little short and, indeed, fragile, but on the other hand, there isn’t any more oak than before. Comments: this is not malt whisky, it’s a delicacy. One of the great old ‘clean’ ones but watch out, it goes down too well. Remarkably un-oaky. SGP:641 - 90 points.

Glenturret 34 yo 1977/2012 (46%, Berry Bros & Rudd, cask ref #1)

Colour: light gold. Nose: more wood presence than in the 1980, which translates into a little more varnish and apple skins, but other than that it’s a plain and total fruit avalanche. This time we’re a little ‘wider’, because beside the peaches and plums, I also find some tinned litchis, some coconut and then a lot of small green fruits. Say gooseberries and say kiwis. From the wood department, whiffs of broken branches and roots. Mouth: the wood’s bigger than in the 1980, more obvious, but it talks to the fruits, if I may say so. And there are many fresh herbs too, wulong tea (the ‘blue’ one – I think - they have in Taiwan, delicious), peelings… What’s amusing is that it’s neither on western fruits, nor on tropical ones. In fact, it’s right between both. All that is bound with a little honey and barley syrup. Finish: of medium length, with a similar development. Comments: a wonderfully complex one, which suggests it’s a blend of two or three casks rather than just one. Extremely high quality again. SGP:641 - 90 points.

Let’s have a last one…

Glenturret 31 yo 1979/2011 (53.6%, Signatory, hogshead, cask #1441, 218 bottles)

Colour: light gold. Nose: a completely different story, it seems. This one has more power and many more green and grassy notes at first nosing. It’s also kind of peaty, and honestly, had you told me this was a lightly peated old Laphroaig, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Very interesting… There are medicinal notes for sure, but those are close to the paraffin we had found in the old 1978. As they say, the jury’s still out. With water: well, that didn’t work out, it’s rather more paraffin and even plastic that come out. Mouth (neat): serious, there is some peat in there, and as the lemony side is huge, all that combines perfectly well. Huge zestiness! With water: swims better on the palate. Huge lemons, no more peatiness (boo-hoo-hoo) and tons of lemon grass instead. Finish: long, very lemony. Comments: exactly the opposite of the previous ones. More adventurous, so to speak, certainly less perfect, perhaps more interesting… SGP:562 - 87 points.

(thank you Fabien and Konstantin!)

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