Quite some Glenrothes, Part One

As the headline says. Starting with a little apéritif, as usual...

Glenrothes 8 yo (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, The MacPhail's Collection, +/-2015)

Really liked the older versions, such as a +/-1998 at 86 points. Colour: straw. Nose: rather a half grassy, half earthy start, before it tends to become maltier and more 'toasted, in an old fashioned way. Chocolate and burnt raisins, toasted sweet bread, a hint of wood smoke. All, that is pleasant. Mouth: I'm finding this very excellent, perfectly malty, with lovely notes of coffee and even cappuccino. They could sell this at Starbucks, except that Starbucks do not deserve it. Apple cake, cornflakes, milk chocolate... All very good. Finish: surprisingly long, toasty, malty, and cake-y. Comments: this is what air travellers should buy in travel retail, instead of junk NAS 'limited' bottlings that are as interesting as Susan Boyle singing Bohemian Rhapsody. Also love the fact that they decreased the colouring. Not even sure there is any. Oh, and at its price, it's also an OB killer. SGP:451 - 87 points.

Let's find another young one... Oh, such as this bomb...

Glenrothes 7 yo 2007/2014 (66.7%, Adelphi, 1st fill sherry hogshead, cask #3529, 320 bottles)

You may need to do two hours of yoga before tackling a malt at almost 67% vol.! It seems that the strength went up while in wood, which may suggest that the hoggie was stored right under the roof. Right, or in Timbuktu. Colour: amber. Nose: not much, but that's normal at this super-strength. Feels a bit BTAC, as they say in America. Now I do get baklavas, but I'm not sure... With water: the best use of water for sure. Raisins, kugelhopf, various cakes and pastries, and a rather wonderful toasted oakiness. Never thought I would write that one day. Mouth (neat): doesn't burn that much. I do get sundried sultanas from southwest Turkey, plus... I'm joking, it just burns. So, with water: totally excellent raisin juice mixed with chocolate, sweet malt, and honey. One of these youngsters that got great because of a great cask, I suppose. Finish: long, very malty and cake-y. Perfect for breakfast, but then again, 66.7% vol. for breakfast may be a little too much. Unless you just got back home and are about to go to bed. Comments: some very impressive Scottish bourbon - yes I know that was malt and that was sherry. It does have something bourbony. Recommended, you'll have fun with it (or sister casks). SGP:551 - 88 points.

Glenrothes 12 yo 2002/2014 (54.8%, Single Cask Collection, bourbon hogshead, 240 bottles)

This one should be very 'natural' according to its colour. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: interesting totally naked young Speysider. Cut apples, and more cut apples. Cut apples? Did you just say cut apples? With water: touches of beer, whiffs of roses, and a little grass. Mouth (neat): indeed, some young malt whisky in all its naked glory. Apples, peaches, vanilla, barley syrup, and basta cosi. With water: a little more sweetness. Drops of pineapple and pear juice, 50-50. Finish: medium, fruity, simple, uncomplicated, good. Comments: exactly the kind of bottle one should own to show everyone how pure, natural, and unadulterated/unflavoured malt whisky tastes. Oh forget about complexity! SGP:641 - 82 points.

Glenrothes 1996/2015 'Toasted Anise' (46%, Wemyss Malts, hogshead, 401 bottles)

Toasted anise? I could have written such an, ach, unlikely thing. But no, I do not work for any distillers or bottlers. Colour: white wine. Nose: it's the 2002 with more wood interaction, so rather more vanilla, syrups, and pears instead of apples. Although I very well know that pears come from a young(ish) distillate. Also whiffs of fresh panettone, which just cannot be bad. That's right, orange blossom. Mouth: bright, crisp, fresh fruity combo. A fruit salad with a little barley water, vanilla sauce, and acacia honey. No, the fact that there are millions (millions, really?) or similar casks lying over there in Scotland does not mean that it's not good! Finish: medium, clean, fruity, barleyish, excellent. Nice grassy/oaky signature for more, say straightness. Comments: simply very good. Didn't get the anise, though, but this is not pastisfun dot com anyway. SGP:551 - 84 points.

Glenrothes 1996/2014 (55.5%, Malts of Scotland, sherry hogshead, cask #MoS 14028, 241 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: ah, more dimension. That's the cask speaking. Malted barley (yeah, that's not the cask), chocolate, cigars, walnuts and hazelnuts, then some apple pie straight from the oven covered with some vanilla ice cream and some honey sauce. A little regressive, but that's a compliment. Childhood memories. With water: a little more green maltiness. Mouth (neat): rich, malty, with quite some sweet oak (the bottler's signature), vanilla, coconut, overripe apples, and some kind of green spice cake. No, not space cake. With water: all good, oranges, apples, honey, malt, and maple syrup. You cannot be against that. Finish: medium, a tad greener and maltier. A little sweet beer (very fruity IPA, such as Anchor's). Comments: nothing to complain about, quite the contrary. SGP:551 - 85 points.

Glenrothes 19 yo 1996/2015 (56.2%, First Editions, refill hogshead, 242 bottles)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: nice! (what a worthwhile comment, S.) Fresh butter and honey on maize bread, then that famous apple pie, with just a little agave syrup that makes it a little more 'interesting' than others. I may have forgotten to mention vanilla. Very pleasant freshness. With water: pure sweet malt and overripe apples, barley syrup... And all that. Mouth (neat): sweet malty and fruity goodness. What's nice in this one is that there's more citrus than in the others, especially oranges. Oriental pastries, some chamomile and lime tree teas, some peaches. Butterscotch. All good. With water: all good indeed. Apple and orange juice with a little honey. Finish: medium, with a little toffee. Ah, toffee, that's new! Comments: in a way, this one's closer to the well-aged OBs. Not the sweet-oaked ones, mind you. SGP:541 - 86 points.

Glenrothes-Glenlivet 14 yo 2001/2016 (46%, Cadenhead, Small Batch, 492 bottles)

This one just in while I had already started this little session. Let's sneak it in, knowing that if it's a vatting of two or three casks, it may have become more complex than single casks - however good those were. Colour: pale white wine. Say Chablis from the eastern bank - just joking. Nose: sweet malt and sweet apple juice, with a little custard and some moderately aromatic honey. Perhaps colza? Mouth: again, this is nice. Orange juice, apple juice, a touch of vanilla, a drop of pinesap, and we're done. Harmless and good. Finish: medium and maltier. A few sweet spices. Comments: Irreproachable easy malt whisky, the kind our friends up there in cheerful Campbeltown used to bottle in the Duthie's range before. SGP:541 - 84 points.

Certainly not one of our easiest sessions ever. Let's have one more young or middle-aged Glenrothes and call this a tasting session. We'll have older ones tomorrow, because, you know, we need a little more fun!

Glen Rothes 8 yo 1986/1994 (43%, Van Wees, The Ultimate, cask #91, 425 bottles)

I thought it would be nice to have a soft landing at 8 yo and 43% vol. Colour: straw. Nose: a drier one, with more clay, more ink, more newspapers, and a little more burnt sugar as well. Hints of pinesap and lime grass. It is a pleasant dry and fresh nose. Mouth: a dry one indeed, with some grass, citrus peel, a little cardboard, bitter chocolate, and raw malt. The citrusy side lifts it and keeps it afloat. Hints of limestone and chalk. In a way, it's the opposite of the luscious officials from that era. Finish: short to medium, with more chalk and lemon, which works kind of well. Comments: fine, but not too sexy. Say average plus. SGP:351 - 78 points.

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