
June 24, 2020

Indie Glen Elgin at the top of its game

Why is it that each and every time I’m spotting a Glen Elgin, Lagavulin springs to my mind? But no worries, we shan’t mix both malts today…

Glen Elgin 13 yo 2006/2019 (56.3%, The Single Malts of Scotland, barrel, cask #9800010, 213 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: chalk, bamboo shoots, raw potatoes, green apples and pears, perhaps even beans, grist and pot ale… What’s pretty obvious here is that this baby is not cask-driven. No, we shan’t complain. With water: no changes that I can detect, which won’t make for some utter scandal. Perhaps a drop of cherry juice? Mouth (neat): excellent, on cider apples, lemon juice, and just a touch of fresh ginseng. This one’s good for your health, I’d wager. With water: absolutely excellent, very fresh, lively, even refreshing. Green and white fruit juices, going towards our preferred Sauvignons Blancs. No, no cat p*** whatsoever. Finish: rather long, tense and tart, always very refreshing. Kiwi, celeriac and fennel juice. Have to try that one of these days. Comments: goes down quicker than a D.T. speech. Love it. I mean, this little Glen Elgin.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

Glen Elgin 1995/2017 (50.8%, C&S Dram Senior, hogshead, cask #3212, 296 bottles)

What senior, who’s a senior? Is this whisky for senior citizens only? Colour: white wine. Nose: very similar, just rather chalkier than the 2006. Does chalk come with age? Having said that there are whiffs of bandages, which, indeed… Also a touch of tangerine. With water: damp chalk and mushrooms, with touches of camphor and lemon peel. You cannot beat this profile. Mouth (neat): I think people tend to forget that Glen Elgin has a stellar distillate. This is just further proof, with tangerines and grapefruits, chalk, touches of melon, resins and putties. With water: a little sweetness, a little jamminess. A drop of sugarcane syrup. Impeccable. Finish: medium, pretty sublime actually. Ticks all the boxes, the chalky one, the waxy one, all the fruity ones… Comments: this senior really impressed me, what an immaculate spirit.
SGP:652 - 90 points.

Let’s check what’s cooking at G&M’s…

Glen Elgin 20 yo 1997/2018 (55.7%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, 1st fill sherry butt, #18/003, 602 bottles)

Heavy sherry this time, I suppose. Colour: rich amber. Nose: oh, a liquid Mars bar, blended with some perfect well-aged rhum agricole (like, say Neisson) and a copita of proper old PX. It’s hard to resist this pretty classic old style. With water: a lot of menthol and pinesap this time. Thin mints, bees’ propolis… Mouth (neat): these heavily sherried malt can be a little trying when neat, sometimes too leafy, or leathery, or too dissonant. Not the case at all here, I even seem to remember an old Tamdhu in G&M’s older CASK series… So basically, raisins, chocolate, touches of pepper, some marmalade, hint of earth and mushroom, and quite a lot of pipe tobacco. Which, I know, no one should ever eat. With water: very very good, just a tad rougher than on the nose. Ever chewed any propolis? A.k.a. the beekeeper’s chewing gum? That’s the feeling here. Finish: long, sappy, with even more propolis and fir resin, getting beautifully bitterer. Comments: loved the finish, even if some friends might find it a tad extreme. A very big malt whisky.
SGP:571 - 89 points.

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