Category: Glenrothes

Style: Complex and Gingery

Nose:

Robust, vanilla coated ginger slices punch through. Gunpowder mist shrouding in, which extends into a stream of sulphur. Behind the smoke screen, we have sweet orange drop descending deep into the core while white flowers and barley malt dressed on the side. The lurking sulphur notes becoming more evident overtime. Shredded ginger spice pinging at the tail.

Palate:

Bright ginger slicing in and hitting all the high notes. Another thread of sulphur anchoring onto the palate, a little less apparent comparing to the nose. The palate becomes cleaner after you “adjust” to it after putting aways a few drams. Malt syrup binds with crystallized oranges. Vanilla cream stepping in for a brief moment while more fresh ginger spice firing a blazing trail. Gunpowder combines with wood smoke, vanilla milkshake whipping up at the back. Coconut shreds, finishes with a sprinkle of cacao powder.

Finish:

Ginger candy, sweet lemon tea, dark chocolate and floral malt. Spearmint overtone to finish.

Thoughts:

After 25 years Glenrothes remains a massive ginger bomb, there is an excellent range of elements on display behind the ginger spearhead. However, as you can read it from my tasting notes, the spirit is tainted by sulphur at various points. Look, the suphur is there, but not overwhelmingly so. I did not pick it up until Nic pointed out. I find it is quite drinkable if you can adapt to the “profile” (took me 3 drams to forget about it). The light and bright sweetness slowly transcends to multiple form of complexities. Honestly, I am really okay with it, but if you are sulphur-sensitive, my advice is tread at your own risk…

[55.5% •  1991 Distilled •  2017 Bottled • Independent Bottling • Single Cask • Cask Strength • Non Coloured • Non Chill Filtered • 1 of 167 bottles • Cask Number: 5113 • x]

-Esmond

 

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

Style: Sweet and Spicy

Nose:
Playful dark red fruits swaying on the nose, sweetness quickly surrounded by fresh-cut ginger and sharp spices. A small pinch of gunpowder mixed within. Blackcurrants, plums rising on a peppermint surge, while subtle umami drops deeper. Light combination of caramel, figs and malt towards the end.

Palate:
Demerara sugar converges neatly at the tip, then it is smashed off by a furious wave of peppermint spice. Pepper sprinkling down to the red fruits core. Nicely sweet on a spicy edge. Grape juice, bubblegum slowly transform into lemon-ginger malt. A touch of creaminess is added to the body. Finish with raisins and dark chocolate notes.

Finish:
Elements of sweet lemon fruits echoes with red grapes and sharp ginger. Spices give a rather long-lasting kick here. Subtle sherry lingers, lemon tea flowing… All is well.

Thoughts:
Glenrothes at formidable form. To be honest, the spirit of Glenrothes can be very spicy at higher strength, but at around 51% the flavours deliver without overwhelmed by the hotness. The strength gives a very powerful kick but not numbing. Sweet sherry while not cloying, flavours transcend over time which invites you to drink dram after dram. Yes, it is not a technically perfect whisky, but it is an excellent sipper after a long day. Nice, relaxing dram for cask strength drinkers like me…

 ✓ [Recommended if you like the style/ distillery]

[51.7% • 2017 Bottled • 1997 Distilled • Independent Bottling • Single Cask • Cask Strength • Non Chill Filtered • Non Coloured • No Age Statement • Aged 20 Years • 60 Bottles • t]

Bottled for the Whisky Fair, tasted at the Oak Barrel

-Esmond

[56.6%・13 Years Old・Distilled in 2003・Bottled in 2016・Official Bottling・Single Cask Release of 564 bottles]

Nose:

The oak merges well with the inviting sherry influence, dark chocolate and moist Christmas cake dressed with some toasted almonds.  That classy note of staves well seasoned with sherry along with a subtle touch of earthiness give the dram much depth.

Palate & Finish:

Quality sherried whisky with just a brush of spices at the entry point, bursting with bright flavours but very gentle for a young Glenrothes sherry cask; it drinks more like a 48% rather than a whisky bottled at mid-50%.  Luscious creaminess of a body as the tannins provide a base upon which the dark prunes and sticky raisins lay.  Brown sugar boiling in the background echoing the charming acidity from the poached fruits.

The finishing is rewarding, oozing of dark chocolate sauce as the tannins continue to dry out the excessive sweetness.

Thoughts:

Congratulations Mr. Hutchins-Read for bringing us a winner!  Nothing short of a triumph for us Aussie battlers and Glenrothes’ reputation as a sherry house.

☆ [Recommended]

–Nicholas

 

Style: Sweet and Spicy

Nose:

Stewed fruits simmering with a nice blend of vanilla malt. Ginger spice rolls in slowly, rising from the glass at a relaxed pace. Fresh, clear cut and grassy balm running on the nose. A soft mutter of caramel paste contributes a bit of creamy texture to the scent.

Palate:

Big mouthful of sherry notes to start off the palate. Red grapes pressing lightly with some sweet almonds on the side. Light, but dialled down to a medium-low tone, which welcomes some solid support from the ginger backbone to keep it zippy. The spices reach the heights with sharp and refreshing touches, and also providing some sizzling scorched undertones. Sherry juice meets the malt at the back, topped up with a touch of cream. A sweet ending.

Finish:

Light chocolate and dates singing with distant dried fruit notes. Soft finish.

Thoughts:

Other than it is a rather sherry-ladened whisky, I am quite surprised and impressed how much the spices department does most of the heavy lifting. Playing all parts from bass level to high notes, amplifies the red fruit sweetness and supporting the structure. Probably a bit over-reliant on the spices if you ask me. While I haven’t tried a lot of whiskies, but this type of arrangement is rather rare to me. Interesting, I guess.

✓ [Recommended if you like the style/ distillery]

[43% • 2012 • Original Bottling • Limited Release • 21 Years Old • Quick Impression • t-]

-Esmond

Tasting Notes:

The Glenrothes 1988 (Bottled in 2014) ☆

Style: Sweet and Spicy

Nose:

Candied orange with a generous slice of ginger. Lemon citrus brimming tenderly, peppermint, assorted traditional dried fruits with loads of apricots. The aroma is rather delicate but the core looks very solid.

Palate:

Similar construct to the nose but the sherry component is much more prevalent on the palate. Sweet red grape coat wraps around the dried fruits and spicy nucleus. Shaking off raisins and brown sugar dust, we have big honey malt amped up with hints of tannins and dryness tailing it. Increasingly savoury overtime, rather juicy and complex than I first thought. Impressive.

Finish:

Thick fruity honey trickling with vitality. Smooth and delicious.

Thoughts:

Despite generally bottled at 43%, I personally feel Glenrothes puts in a fair amount of emphasis on spiciness and that might not be very beginner-friendly. While the ginger notes draw away some attention but when I spend time with this dram, there is a lot going on from the malty and fruity side – solid and delicious flavours hiding under the spicy edge of the whisky. Celebratory dram.

☆ [Recommended]

[43% • 2014 Bottled • 1988 Bottled • Original Bottling  • Aged 26 Years • Limited Release]

-Esmond