Style: Sweet and Spicy
Nose:
Fresh-cut ginger raining down on a big malt cake. Gunpowder sneaking into the aroma. Icy green peppermint, faint floral rims while lemon honey dripping onto caramel slices. Plenty of dry spices emerges towards the end, a barley husk tail.
Palate:
Juicy, sweet malt sponge cake shining through the ocean of ginger spices on the palate. Polished tropical fruits in a delicate form, while honey aloe vera beaming gently. Digging deeper, old-fashioned ginger cake comes to mind. Dryness is beginning to show as barley sugar is surrounded and attacked by multiple dry spices, think anise, cinnamon and nutmeg. Green malt to finish. Complex and nice.
Finish:
Ginger candy slowly converts to light and creamy chocolate malt. Soft honey chorusing till the end.
Thoughts:
Even after 27 years, bottled at slightly over 50%, the robust ginger spice in Glenrothes remains completely unfazed and shows no signs of mellowing down. Probably it is one of the spiciest distillate I have tasted. That said, this dram shows a very colourful development with many subtle elements revolving around the sweet, malt core. After trying two Art of Whisky series – the Glentauchers and now this, I feel the one who picks the casks (assuming they are single casks) relies more on his/her palate than nose. While the aroma did not promise as much, the palate really delivers – juicy, complex and delicious. In terms of ratings, it is a borderline call between a tick and one star. I decided to give it a star, because despite having slight flaws, it is still a mighty tasty dram.
☆ [Recommended]
[51.0% • Independent Bottling • Cask Strength • Non Chill Filtered • Non Coloured • Limited Release • 1 of 204 Bottles • *-]
-Esmond
WhiskNick 