
September 13, 2018

Little duets, let’s praise Glenturret

Are they still for sale? It’s true that between Edrington’s new spaceship in Craigellachie and their very antique Glenturret distillery, there is a world of difference. What’s sure with Glenturret is that its whiskies are, and never were boring.

Glenturret 18 yo 1999/2018 (51.6%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseur’s Choice cask strength, First fill Sherry hogshead, cask #690, 265 bottles)

Apparently, this baby’s for Asia & Oceania. Colour: deep gold. Nose: rather typically Glenturret at first sniffs, with these notes of soot, brake pad and new leather, but I’m also finding some awesome notes of crushed wild raspberries and red grapes (ever crunched raw syrah?), and then a large nut cake that’s still warm. Pecans, walnuts… I have to say I enjoy this nose a lot this far. With water: oh, earth, old books, and mushrooms! Mouth (neat): superb! Hurray! Gracias! Merci! It’s been a while since I tried such a fantastic Glenturret, full of cigars, chocolate, all nuts one can find on Planet Earth, all honeys as well including the punchiest ones, and once again (since I already found that in another whisky this month), Linzertorte. Hoppla. Sure that’s all partly thanks to the cask, but still… With water: raspberry wine and caramel sauce, plus Maltesers. Makes you feel guilty, just a bit. Finish: long, rich, superb. Touches of violets and liquorice over some wonderful malty chocolate. Comments: dear whisky hounds, go get this one! (if I may). Well done, G&M!
SGP:651 - 91 points.

Glenturret 30 yo 1987/2018 (45.3%, Douglas Laing, Xtra Old Particular, cask # 12378, 229 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: holy featherless chicken, this is subtle! Some perfect old waxes (grandma’s old liquid furniture polish), some lemony hops, touches of pumpernickel (which is very Glenturret indeed, not just brake pads), porcinis, old books, old leather jacket… Now it tends to become a little too paraffiny and even soapy, which is rather old-regime Glenturret indeed in my experience, but nothing too excessive, far from that. After all, this is Glenturret. Mouth: this if full of tiny flaws, and yet it’s perfect, as if each flaw did counterbalance another one. It’s a funny feeling, almost impressionistic. Tobacco, sesame oil, cranberry and cassis bonbons, tonic wine, Seville oranges, mead, whisky-ed porridge (right, porridge), some kind of tarry fudge, molasses, puréed chestnuts, pipe tobacco, nutmeg and juniper… Well I could go on and on. Finish: very long, and curiously coherent while one could have thought it would have gone off in almost any directions. Comments: really a lot of fun. Hope Glenturret will never close!
SGP:462 - 88 points.

Check the index of all Glenturret we've tasted so far