April 24, 2015

A short verticale of Glen Spey

I’ve only tasted around 30 Glen Spey since this mad website was started, so I don’t think I could tell you much about this very discreet Speyside malt. What’s sure is that the indies seem to have more of it this days – maybe also because the bigger names are becoming harder to find. Or too expensive!

Glen Spey 2002/2014 (46%, Spirit & Cask Range, refill butt, cask #10150, 298 bottles)

A fairly new range. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: just what I had expected, this is almost barley eau-de-vie, in all its roughness and youth. Cut apples, pears, a touch of baker’s yeast, plenty of grass, whiffs of chalk and a wee feeling of artisan vodka, whatever that means. Almonds, fresh marzipan. This baby sure doesn’t make you swoon, but I enjoy its honesty and straightforwardness. No oak’s been harmed during the process ;-). Mouth: good, sweet, with a touch of earth, some pears, some apples and drops of corn syrup. Barley water, barley sugar. I find this simply good. Finish: medium length. Sweet barley and pear compote, all this is ‘au naturel’. Candy sugar in the aftertaste. Comments: probably not totally unforgettable, but yeah, I find this naked malt whisky loyal, honest, and refreshingly free of tricks. SGP:441 - 82 points.

Glen Spey 22 yo 1991/2014 (46%, Coopers Choice, Port finish, cask #6459, 300 bottles)

Scary colours… Colour: salmony. Nose: you just have to forget this is malt whisky – and not rosé de Provence either – and you’ll be fine. Funny notes of red peaches, cherry stem tea, blackcurrant buds and moist pipe tobacco. I believe this rather works, I can’t find any obvious dissonances – maybe because the malt’s quite shy in the first place. Mouth: there is a buttery side this time, something slightly sour (cherry yoghurt?) and some kind of leafiness as well (same teas, fruit stems and leaves). Good body. Finish: medium. Sweets and herbal teas, with green tannins in the aftertaste. Add one marshmallow. Comments: I’m sure I’d have preferred it ‘au naturel’, but we’ve all seen Port finishes that have worked out much worse. SGP:451 - 78 points.

Glen Spey 20 yo 1991/2012 (48.7%, A.D. Rattray, bourbon hogshead, cask #800860, 256 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: it is a bit like the 2002, with a little more sawdust and vanilla, as well as these earthy tones that usually come with wood. Hay, broken branches, dead leaves. I also find this one a little too paraffiny, which may explain why Coopers Choice have decided to do a finishing on what was probably a very similar cask. I liked the nose of that one a little better. Mouth: yes, but I like this one better on the palate. Sure it’s a little harsh and ‘simple’, and very grassy as well, but it’s also got very fine notes of tangerines and grapefruits that did not make it in the Port finish. Something sour again – lemon-flavoured yoghurt? Finish: rather long, zestier, grassier, kind of blade-y. Always something that I enjoy. Comments: I’d say with these kinds of whiskies, the palate’s a little more important than the nose. That’s why I think I’ll go for… SGP:351 - 79 points.

A last one… Maltbarn should have it in Limburg, but since I can’t make it to Limburg this year (sob sob sob), let’s try it immediately.

Glen Spey 26 yo 1988/2014 (43.6%, Maltbarn, bourbon, 101 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: ah this is interesting. Grassier and more mineral than the others, with some linseed oil, notes of fino (right, fresh walnuts), wet concrete, then rather apple peelings and those broken branches that we already found in one of the others. Carbon paper, pitch… No ooh-ah whisky for sure, but it’s got a meditative side. Maybe does it need more time… Mouth: ooh this works. Once again, it’s the opposite of some modern in-your-face whisky, but it’s got a very lovely tropical side (right, half a mango) plus citrons and various half-grassy, half-mineral elements. Almond milk, for example, fresh walnuts, lemon skin, perhaps white peaches… It’s really soft, gentle, pretty complex and oh-so lovely. It just needs your time… Finish: rather good length. Grassy almonds plus barley syrup and a touch of honey. Comments: may you call some malt whisky ‘contextual’? Or would that rather be ‘moody’? Anyway, we have today’s winner. SGP:461 - 85 points.

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