
August 9, 2016

Little duets, two excellent indie Glenrothes

Haven’t the owners been rather quiet recently? Not so at the independents, there are many new Glenrothes, they flow like honey! And we won’t complain…

Glenrothes 19 yo 1996/2015 (50%, Hunter Laing, Old Malt Cask, cask #2522, 328 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: honey indeed, and Weetabix, Golden Grahams, Kellogg’s best, then tarte tatin and maple syrup. Gets then very brioche-y, which is great. Custard. We’re actually close to the well-aged officials, which I always enjoyed a lot. Great nose, very classic. With water: gums, Haribo’s best (say crocodiles), jams, acacia honey… Mouth (neat): super-good! Brighter and fruitier than the OBs this time, and above all, ridden with pineapples. As jams, jellies, tinned, liqueurs, syrups, whatever. This is extremely spectacular, but of course you need to enjoy pineapples. Oh and it’s not quite ‘pineapple from youth’ (what’s that molecule again? Ah yes, methyl butanoate). With water: totally excellent, with a perfect balance, an entrancing fruitiness and no excesses. In other words, the pineapples calmed down. Finish: medium, jammy, with some vanilla, some honey, and a tiny cup of cappuccino. Comments: extremely easy and sexy. Malt whisky that will convince everyone. SGP:641 - 89 points.

Glenrothes 26 yo 1989/2016 (52.5%, The Single Malts of Scotland, cask #18173, 255 bottles)

Colour: dark straw. Nose: a grassier, waxier, more mineral Glenrothes, as if it was made north of Inverness. It’s got the same slightly exuberant fruity notes (pineapples, pears) but it’s also got more grass and more firmness. Funny notes of IPA too, perhaps is that hops? Or a wee yeastiness? With water: gets a little shy. Not that it doesn’t swim, but it gets less emphatic than the 1996. A little butter cream. Mouth (neat): this time it’s a full-fruity one, starting citrusy and even citric, so much more on sweet grapefruits (the pink ones) than on pineapples, and going on with cranberries and greengages. And gooseberries. With water: not many changes. Perhaps more apples? Finish: medium, fruity, slightly grassy, with some barley sugar. Comments: totally excellent, just a little less wham-bam, less ‘noticeable’ than its bro. SGP:541 - 86 points.

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