Three nice Glen Elgin


March 17, 2017

Three nice Glen Elgin

I’ll say it, when anybody says White Horse, everybody’s thinking Lagavulin. And yet, there was probably more Glen Elgin than Lagavulin in those glorious old White Horses! There!

Glen Elgin 12 yo (43%, OB, +/-2016)

‘Handcrafted’ says the label. Not totally sure about that bit… Colour: gold. Nose: ah yes, that awesome mentholy/malty honeyness… A blend of crème de menthe with Ovaltine and maple syrup. Now it does tend to become drier, a tad cardboardy and ‘toasty’, with more bitter almonds and fresh broken wood. Coffee beans, a little damp earth… Mouth: some two-phase malt. First honeyed and brioche-y, then much drier, with a lot of coffee, stout beer, malt, and nutmeg. Relatively un-commercial, I’d say, but I really enjoy these notes of spicy honey that are coming out. That’s our favourite, chestnut honey! Finish: medium, dry. Chicory and coffee, roasted malt, all that. Some ham in the rather bittersweet aftertaste. Comments: a peculiar dram, as they say in whisky blogs. Like this one better than earlier batches from a few years ago. SGP:361 - 82 points.

Glen Elgin 1998/2014 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, refill sherry)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s much softer than the OB, much more on cakes, pastries, shortbread, apple pie, milk chocolate… Having that, the kind of mentholy honeyness that we had found in the 12 is here as well. That’s nice. Mouth: more bittersweet than the OB, with much more liquorice, cassis jam (they make the best in Burgundy. No, really), and cinnamon cake. Notes of ripe white cherries floating around, which is totally nice in my book. Perhaps a little fennel and dill? Does that come from the wood? Good body, 46% always work. Finish: medium to long, with more cloves. Many more cloves, also caraway, also old walnuts. Oranges and malt in the aftertaste, always pleasant. Some cracked pepper too. Comments: I’m all in favour of this little bottling! SGP:461 - 84 points.

Glen Elgin 20 yo 1995/2016 (51.5%, Claxton’s, refill hogshead, 294 bottles)

I really enjoy what these good people in Yorkshire-up-there are doing. They’re always selecting interesting casks. Colour: pale gold. Nose: ah yes, it’s a turpentine-y one. I’m meaning good old natural turpentine, a painter’s workshop, linseed oil, oil paint, absinthe… Right, not absinthe, although, on second thought… This is really spectacular. Furniture polish, eucalyptus, cough syrup… What’s not to like? With water: cut grass the next day, menthol, mint tea (in the Sahara, ha-ha), mud and clay… Again, what’s not to like? Mouth (neat): just totally perfect. Mint, aniseed, liquorice, pinesap, spearmint, sagebrush, peppermint… Now if you would excuse me, I think I’m going to order a bottle… With water: superb! Apples baked with mint and liquorice. Have to try that one day. Finish: quite long, and very fresh, thanks to all this mint. Comments: bravo! I know, minimum service, but I really need to order a bottle… SGP:461 - 90 points.

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

Pete McPeat and Jack Washback