April 8, 2015

Quite possibly the last genuine verticale of Glenlochy we’ll ever do

A little verticale of Glenlochy, that’s unusual. Remember, the old Fort Williams distillery was closed for good in 1983, together with many colleagues. At some point it used to belong to the owner of the neighbouring distillery, Ben Nevis, before joining the DCL/SMD team. We’ll start, as usual, with a wee aperitif at rather low strength. And today, that’ll be…

Glenlochy 14 yo 1968 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, +/-1982)

Colour: gold. Nose: a really smoky nose at first, before oranges and perhaps ripe guavas start to blend in. In the background, old copper coins, tin boxes, old toolbox and all those sorts of greasy/sooty/metallic things, then more ink and carbon paper. There might be some OBE, especially since there’s also a little pinesap arising, cough medicine, leather… All that is quite complex, let’s only hope the palate won’t be a bit tired and flat. Mouth: tired? Not at all, quite the contrary in fact. Starts tarry and smoky, a bit salty as well, with an obvious ‘old Highlands’ feeling, displaying plenty of waxes and oils, a refreshing acridness (chewing tobacco) and all these sappy notes that we already found in the nose. And it wouldn’t even lose steam, rather remaining firm and phenolic/metallic, without ever becoming dusty or cardboardy. As for the fruits, they’re still oranges. Finish: granted, this isn’t the longest finish ever, but everything remains in place, with the salt and the smoke dancing in the aftertaste. Comments: not a surprise, but quite a bit of a surprise, still. Big fat malts never die, apparently. This starts well. SGP:463 - 89 points.

And now the main courses…

Glenlochy 27 yo 1980/2008 (53.9%, Signatory Vintage, Cask Strength Collection, hogshead, cask #2823, 231 bottles)

Colour: dark straw. Nose: starts with a big sucrosity but that may be the high strength. Plenty of tinned fruits, oranges, zests, all that coated with some putty/marzipan (as opposed to putty/plasticine) and then more and more crystallised oranges. I do not get much smoke, soot, tar or metal this time, but water may change that. With water: cancel that, there they come, old tools, rusty old machines, long forgotten paint pots, then oranges and herbal teas (lime tree, chamomile, the usual suspects). Definitely old ‘sooty’ Highlands. Mouth (neat): bonbons, bonbons and bonbons, plus a bitterish mint and a little leaven, perhaps. A little ink as well. With water: perfect, don’t we all love water. Soot, wax, tobacco, tar and smoke, liquorice… Finish: same, for a rather long time. Comments: a big bodied old Highlander indeed. Water tamed it. Quality’s very high. SGP:463 - 90 points.

While we’re at it… All these 1980s by Signatory were great anyway (well done Signatory!)…

Glenlochy 32 yo 1980/2012 (60.1%, Signatory Vintage, Cask Strength Collection, refill butt, cask #1759, 499 bottles)

A butt this time, so this might be a bit rounder. But have you seen the strength! Colour: pale gold. Nose: little, if not no sherry influence, this baby’s very close to its sibling, with maybe just more ‘silence’ because of the very high strength. A little sour wood, perhaps, but water will tell. With water: it’s a fighter, certainly less friendly than the ex-hoggie, it reminds me a bit of a Corsican friend – but that’s another story. The grass smoke is perfect, though (ha-ha). Mouth (neat): bang! A blade, really. Lemons and iron, plus silver and grapefruits. Extremely strong, ala old Rare Malts (more about those later). With water: perfect, lemons and grapefruits come out, with a bit of mentholated polish – or would that rather be… toothpaste? Finish: long, lemony, grassy and smoky. Comments: just excellent again, with just a little more austerity. As for the sherry, well there’s more sherry in northern Greenland. SGP:362 - 89 points.

Good, shall we go back in time?...

Glenlochy 25 yo 1969/1995 (62.2%, OB, Rare Malts, 20cl)

This wee baby from the utterly lovely sets of 20cl bottles that could be found in the mid-90s. Why haven’t we bought more of those, why? Colour: pale gold. Nose: astounding, just astounding. You’re eating high-quality apples near a working coal stove, while polishing your shoes and quaffing some kind of heavily hopped IPA. With water: question, can you make shoe polish out of lemons? Also love these notes of concrete dust after a heavy shower. Mouth (neat): ooh this is good. It’s from the countryside, it’s got hay, smoke, dairy cream, barley, shoe polish, engine oil… And, yes, gunflints (well the ideas of gunflints as quoted when tasting white wine, because I’m not sure I’ve ever come across actual gunflints). With water: best of lemons and limestone. Finish: long, a bit minimal in a way, but supremely elegant. Comments: yeah, Pouilly-Fumé. Let’s spare a thought for the talented distillers who made this while listening to Honky Tonk Women. SGP:463 - 92 points.

Further back…

Glenlochy 21 yo (55.2%, James MacArthur, Fine Malt Selection, 5cl, 1991)

That’s right, a miniature. It’s said to be a rebottled 1967, but I’m afraid we have no proof. But as this is a miniature, our notes will be short… (what?) Colour: gold. Nose: there are similarities, but this baby’s unexpectedly medicinal, with a lot of antiseptic, then funny whiffs of damp gravel and chalk, then rather wet wool and, here they are again, our beloved wet dogs (we’re deeply sorry, dogs). Fun stuff indeed. With water: even more damp chalk, clay, gravel and herbs. Nosing freshly cut grass. Mouth (neat): it’s a copy of the Rare Malts, but indeed there’s something funnier. Perhaps some kind of caraway-flavoured butter cream? Some speculoos for sure. With water: indeed, speculoos covered with mint sauce. Finish: same, plus funny hints of chives. Comments: a bit unlikely at times, but yeah, it’s fun. And it’s only a miniature. Loved some parts. SGP:372 - 84 points.

And further back…

Glenlochy 30 yo 1963/1993 (52.1%, Signatory Vintage, sherry, cask #761, 190 bottles)

It seems that the great people at Signatory always had a crush on Glenlochy. I think we can understand why, can’t we. Colour: deep gold. There must be a bit of sherry in there. Nose: more old Highlands than the aforementioned old Highlanders. Massive shoe polish and gravel, then rising whiffs of mild tobacco and some kind of oriental orange-blossom-based jam, plus touches of wormwood and verbena that add lightness and, hum, femininity to the combo. Maybe a little dust as well, but let’s see… With water: no changes whatsoever, what a waste of Vittel water. Ha-ha. Mouth (neat): smashing oranges, grapefruits, minerals and polishes, with a very oily mouth feel, a touch of salt, always this sooty side and always these herbs, both minty and grassy/green. It’s the texture that’s most impressive, whether that came from floor maltings, direct firing, old yeast strains or the captain’s age. That’s, in my opinion, the main difference with contemporary distillates. With water: useless water! Its rare that water doesn’t change anything, neither for the better, nor for the worse. Finish: long, with the oranges singing louder – especially bitterish zests. Comments: just excellent, but in truth, I liked Signatory’s first 1980 even better. And of course the precious little Rare Malts. SGP:462 - 88 points.

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