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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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April 13, 2021 |
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Glen Garioch, some older ones |
Perhaps not a very useful session, but there. Older vintages of Glen Garioch, such as 1968 (ah the sherried OBs), or 1971 (Samaroli!), or 1975 (remember Slim Cowell?) have got a huge reputation. Most were much peatier than more recent outputs, sadly the 'lavender incident' (to put it mildly) that struck Bowmore in the 1980s did hit same-owners Glen Garioch as well, albeit les consistently. We'll try to avoid those today, with first a few babies from the 1990s before we jump further into the past… |
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Glen Garioch 26 yo 1991/2017 (51.6%, Maltbarn, for Ramseyer's Switzerland, bourbon) 
Another one that I had stupidly neglected when it came out. No whisky ship in Luzern this year again, sob… Colour: yellow gold. Nose: oh, buttered porridge and fresh kougelhopf! Also brake dust, concrete, old barrels and dunnage, crushed green bananas, cider apples and just chalk. Typical austere GG, less on orchard fruits than others. With water: fresh panettone and focaccia, we're in Italy this time. Mouth (neat): very unusual, with a lot of orange blossom water, citron liqueur, then beeswax and just paraffin. Green tea, a little fresh-sawn oak. Lovely. With water: this tiny soapy touch that was not unseen in GG, otherwise beeswax, with a few drops of lemonade and one of gin-and-tonic. Party time! Finish: medium, fresh, with a little more ginger tonic and beeswax, plus orange blossom water again. This combo really works. Comments: high class, toeing the 88% line.
SGP:552 - 87 points. |
Another older recent bottling that I should have tried before… |
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Glen Garioch 23 yo 1992/2015 (56.4%, Hunter Laing, The Sovereign, cask #HL11308, 243 bottles)
Stags and deer always belonged to GG – I agree, to numerous other old brands as well. But that was before Mr Mongiardino, of Moon Import fame, started to become more liberal with his whisky labels and to use cars, octopuses, spiders, costumes or assault rifles – no, not assault rifles. A trend that's become the norm at most indies – and at Ardbeg. Quite. Colour: straw. Nose: same style as that of the Maltbarn, with much concrete, green apples and muesli, but also a curious feeling of petroly riesling, which I find absolutely gorgeous. With water: gets medicinal, with some aspirin, bandages, and really a lot of (bread) dough. Very much 'Glen Garioch'. Some custard too, fresh brioche with some orange blossom water… Mouth (neat): heavy chalkiness, heavier porridge, sour creams, bone-dry white wines, grapefruits, plus yet again this wee feeling of mineral dust. Sucking the sleave of your jumper at school. With water: all on chalky grapefruits and dough, that's how I would summarise all this awesome development. Finish: long, on the same scheme. Comments: pure Glen Garioch. Once again there was a touch of soap too, forgot to mention that. No worries, no Parma violets either.
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
Let's go down the vintages now and start a proper, albeit short verticale (and jump over the 1980s like Carl Lewis)… |
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Eastern Highland Malt 1975/1988 (50%, Duthie for Samaroli, 20th Anniversary, Fragments of Scotland, 648 bottles) 
We'll do this one quick because we already assessed it, back in 2005. But this is another bottle and by Vishnu, I cannot resist this opportunity, since we're doing a verticale of Glen Garioch. Probably one of the earliest examples of a 'secret malt' everybody used to know about what it actually was. Mr Samaroli wouldn't hide it anyway. Colour: white wine. Nose: these bottles are an embarrassment to today's world of whisky. What an epic and glorious nose, so complex, so medicinal, so full of 'resinous' fruits, of tar, of Band-aid, germoline, creosote, mentholy bananas (why didn't God actually create that kind?), various waxes, old coats and furs in an old wardrobe, old books, lanoline… Well the list is just endless. Mouth: high power and high concentration, you do feel that this is a powerful young malt that was duly refined in its bottle for more than thirty years, just as Mr Samaroli intended. Amazing medicinal and citrusy notes, plus mints and eucalyptus, roots, myrtle, sorb berries, many waxy elements, some salt, a petroly side, chalk of course, tar, gentian… What a maelstrom. Finish: sadly not eternal, but that's good since we may go on with our little verticale then. Keyword: waxy smoky lemony chalk. Comments: we could (try to) write a book about this one, but no worries, you're safe. I had it at 94 and won't change my score, but I'm sure 95 wouldn't have shocked any friends who know this splendour. An ode to Mr Samaroli's shared beliefs in glass ageing. Or as he used to say, refining.
SGP:564 - 94 points. |
It's so cool to be able to do such a verticale, I do feel like I'm in the year 2000 indeed ! |
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Glen Garioch 1973/1987 (57.5%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #19.2) 
I had never tried this one, but I remember Angus did. Let's not read his notes then… This might be rocket fuel anyway, unless, bottle ageing… Colour: gold. Nose: it is rather less smoky than the 1975 (hope that one wasn't harboured in an ex-Islay cask, but that wouldn't have matched Samaroli's ethics), but it is more metallic, with more metal polish, a handful of old copper coins, some coal and some hessian, old tarry ropes, some kind of orange-flavoured marzipan, drops of maraschino, green walnut liqueur while I'm at it, bitter cordial… In fact it's almost as complex as the 1975, just less smoky and medicinal. Intriguing. With water: all waxes and oils in the creation, that's all. Plus indeed metal polish and perhaps green vegetables. As dry as the driest dry white wine. Some old champagnes get a bit like this. Mouth (neat): extraordinarily lemony and petroly, but also really very strong. Bitter beers and perhaps a taste of light, which may happen with some old bottles. Water's needed again anyway. With water: it's a little tough to have it right, you'd almost need an electronic pipette fitted with artificial intelligence (soon at Huawei's). Paraffin and green vegetables? A lot of chalk for sure, and probably a little rubber. Chewing a rubber band. Finish: long, with a feeling of grittiness, with some green tannins, and this soap in the aftertaste (bad OBE in this case)… Comments: this one was glorious at times but very tough, with some old bottle effect starting to pull out a little too much rubber and even plastic. Heart or mind? Okay, mind…
SGP:272 - 88 points. |
Checking Angus' notes now… All right, he loved it and had it at 95. Bad OBE indeed, I'm sure. |
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Glen Garioch 1972 (43%, OB, for Oddbins, +/-1995)
I don't think I ever wrote any silly lines about this one, but the reputation is high and most certainly deserved. Having said that I totally fell in love with its sister from 1971, back in 2007 (WF 95). Colour: golden bronze-ish/copperish amber (what?) Nose: whilst 40% are often too weak, 43% sometimes work beautifully and this is a clear example. 100-year-old Yquem, precious palo-cortado (I remember some crazy old decanters by Barbadillo), box of old Cuban cigars, 'old Jag', old books, dark pollen, metal polish, pinecone smoke, balsa wood and incense sticks, tiny white pineapples (the name escapes me), dried bananas… This is really funny; it tends to move towards fab old rums. Very old agricoles? Mouth: this is so totally funny and unusual! There's a very specific mix of tropical fruits, for example, these tiny litchis, small bananas, pomegranates for sure, wild strawberries (and the liqueur made thereof)… and then off to smokier pastures, with black tobacco, black tea, raw chocolate, even grilled beef, all that with a tiny bit of violet sweet in the background. But not that one. Finish: almost long, rather more on coffee and chocolate, with more old sherries and walnut wines and cigars and… Well, it's time we called the Anti-Maltoporn Brigade, don't you think. I'll still mention some wild strawberries making sheep's eyes in the aftertaste – with a wink. Comments: I'm not saying it wouldn't be even better at 45%, naturally, but wow. Now rather than the well-known peaters most good folks often quote, I'd rather say 1940s Macallan.
SGP:653 - 94 points. |
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Glen Cawdor 16 yo 1968 (43%, Duthie for Samaroli for Valentino Ramelli, 360 bottles, +/-1984)
There are many opinions about Glen Cawdor, some saying it was Springbank, others that it wasn't always the same distillery, and other yet that it was Glen Garioch which, incidentally, could be mistaken for Springbank in some vintages. Well a fairly logical explanation would be that Samaroli used the name Glen Cawdor just to have various 'brands' in his portfolio while he was having a lot of Glen Garioch and the market wasn't ready to 'swallow' it all. What's sure is that he used the very same label for some Glen Garioch too. But I'm not dead sure about all that, if I'm wrong I'm sure I'll get emails from trustworthy sources and shall update… Colour: light gold. Nose: yeah well, the problem is that indeed, this could be Springbank. There's a lot of heather honey, beeswax, hessian, raw wool, old sweet wine, panettone yet again… But it is neither petroly nor ueber-waxy. Having said that, many 1968 GGs we've known had been buried under tons of sherry, so it's hard to say. See how boring those 'secret' single malts are? They already were more than thirty years ago! And instead of enjoying this baby, we're focussed on trying to detect clear distillery markers. Blimey! Mouth: much more 'Glen Garioch' on the palate, that is to say chalky and even metallic, with some plasticine, amaretti, morello cherries, a dry smokiness, raw chocolate, dough, even beans… Some notes of bubbleless Schweppes and chlorophyl. Definitely rather austere. Finish: medium, dry, smoky, austere. Bananas and moderately big chardonnay in the aftertaste, plus this very GG wee soapiness. Comments: these riddles could spoil your pleasure! Anyway, in my opinion this is neither the best Glen Garioch, nor the best Springbank by Samaroli. What Highland Park? Of course not…
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
Further down… I mean down the vintages... |
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Glen Garioch 1967/1997 (40%, Samaroli, cask #659, 260 bottles) 
See, Samaroli have used that Glen Cawdor label for Glen Garioch later on. The only thing that's a little surprising is why 40%. Maybe did they buy some ready-bottled stock? I'm full of doubts here but this is not 'normal'. Colour: full gold. Nose: wow, so intense, on gentian, turmeric, mangos, bananas, celery, almond croissants and vanilla. It's almost narrow and 'simple', but it is totally perfect. Wonderful freshness but naturally, at 40%, the palate might be, well, let's see… Mouth: perhaps not quite, it's very dry, almost cardoardy here and there, even if the smoke, tobacco, tea and chocolate are all well in place. And I'm afraid the wee soapiness came to the front. It is all a little bizarre, this is not a very old bottle… Finish: short and dry. Comments: not too sure. I wouldn't mention OBE in this case and it is a fresh sample from a good bottle, which hasn't spent decades near a heater (but who would do that?) Nutshell, a rather odd bottle by Samaroli's usual extremely high standards. Well, that's my opinion. But having said that, wow, what a nose (hence my goodish score).
SGP:363 - 82 points. |
Good, perhaps a last one at some solid strength? |
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Glen Garioch '1957'/1987 (50%, Duthie for Samaroli, for 30th anniversary of Il Salumaio del Montenapoleone, 240 bottles)
Crikey, I'm am just deciphering the label and am realising that this is actually a 1975 and not a 1957! It was that 'Salumaio del Montenapoleone', a restaurant in Milan, that was founded in 1957. Tricky old labels but anyway, 1975 was a great vintage, it's just that my sacrosanct verticale has been chattered. I tell you, this better be good… By the way, it is a single cask. Colour: straw. Nose: very pure, very mineral, with a delicate coastal-type smoke and some wonderful notes of bananas and guavas. A lot of chalk too, whiffs of menthol and pine resin, also yellow peaches, also chardonnay. Around the Montrachets, if you really need an area. Indeed, top-notch wine-malt. With water: perfect zing. Actually more a Sancerre-type of very chalky wine. These kinds of noses just floor me because of their purity and precision. Mouth (neat): splendidly medicinal and mineral, with crystallised citrus and zests plus a perfect 'resinous' smoke. Stunning tightness, this one never loses focus. We'll call it Leica (ha-ha). With water: waxes in force and lemon zests. And yet it's rather fat, deeply textured malt whisky. Hope they haven't broken the mould and that future GGs will come close to this style again. Even if it's perhaps a tad uncommercial. Perhaps. Finish: long, incredibly waxy, clean, citrusy, doughy, perfect. Comments: you could say this is Clynelish, no one will laugh. Indeed, high-definition, grand-cru quality malt. Forgot to say, it does taste of barley too.
SGP:453 - 93 points. |
(Merci beaucoup Angus, KC, Lucero) |
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