On the topic of stereotypical whisky names, Glen Alan belongs somewhere near the top of the list. The blend was once a core product of the Glenlyon Blending company, a subsidiary of the Glasgow-based blending firm Macleay Duff which was acquired in 1933 by Distillers Company Ltd (the forerunner to Diageo). The subsidiary of the subsidiary, and DCL had many such subsidiaries and odd structures, was later folded into the Macleay Duff proper and its labels discontinued (as far as I could find). For two hundred years the whisky industry has been no stranger to cycles of consolidation, boom, and bust.

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Whisky: Glen Alan Blended Scotch Whisky (c. 1970s)

Country/Region: Scotland/Blend

ABV: 43%

Cask: Oak

Age: N/A

Notes: The aroma was fruity and a bit funky with shiso plum cough drops, watermelon gummy candies, olive oil cake, black peppercorns, and a touch new leather shoe. An old rusted filing cabinet appeared with a subdued metallic quality that moved in the direction of wooden pencils, old manila folders, and a hint of mothballs— a slightly musty combination, like cleaning out an old office. Light bodied, but still rather syrupy or even buttery on the palate, the flavors were a similar mix of fruity candies and musty old office. Old newspapers and filing cabinets hid a treasure of lemon bars, plum candies, and a few discarded old cigarettes and wood pencils. More pistachio bars, honey, baklava, and stuffed flapjacks appeared with time, while an old copier machine ink drum and some worn plastic waited near the end. The finish was medium-length with a touch of sour herbs, metallic pewter, and shiso leaf.

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Score: 6 (79)

Mental Image: Post-Apocalyptic Office Park Exploration

Conclusion: Interesting and often enjoyable, the profile was unusual and rather old-fashioned, particularly some of the sour herbal elements at the end. It reminded me of visiting my dad’s office as a child, especially when they were in the process of moving out of a building that must have been infused with several decades of old tobacco, coffee, and hot printers. The overall structure of the whisky was quite nice and the aroma wonderfully varied, but the mustiness became a bit of a turn off. It was interesting, but I am not sure I enjoyed the blend to the level that I would really seek it out. While some of the blends in this series are things that I would happily pour over and over, this did not feel like one of them.