
November 25, 2016

Reduced service, one single Glen Flagler

Because mind you, we haven’t got two. Glenflagler (aka Glen Flagler) is so rare! It was produced within the Moffat distilling complex in the Lowlands from 1965 until 1985, but there’s always been very few expressions around. The owners kept using the name for a blended malt, but that one wasn’t the real stuff, so whenever you spot some at auctions, don’t pay the price of the single malt for the vatted!

Glen Flagler 5 yo (40%, OB, half-gallon bottle, +/-1980)

There also was an NAS version, which never quite convinced me (WF 72). This particular fiver came in a large 200cl bottle. Colour: pale gold. Nose: wood smoke, old magazines, old nuts, and more ink. It’s a rather dry, pretty unsexy style, far from those of any other Lowlanders, but I do enjoy this discreet earthiness that arises, around coal dust and garden peat. I even find rose petals after a few minutes, but it remains a little shy. Mouth: starts a little ‘Canadian’ (we’re talking old Crown Royal), with a sweetish/sugary background, but it tends to become almost Rosebanky, which is obviously nicer. Pink grapefruits, cranberries, Turkish delights… Not too sure those lovely flavour were there in the first place, though, they may have come with good bottle aging. Now the body’s a little thin, but I wouldn’t call it weak. An excellent surprise. Finish: short, but clean and very pleasantly citrusy. There are even touches of passion fruits hidden in the background. Comments: I’d never have guessed this humble Glen Flagler (well, not from a collector’s point of view) would be this good. With whisky, you always keep learning! SGP:641 - 86 points.

(And thanks a lot, Carsten)