Glen Garioch is a Highland distillery owned and operated since 1994 by Suntory. The multinational conglomerate has done a fair bit of experimentation at Glen Garioch in the last half decade. The distillery is an ideal site to do so considering its relatively modest reputation as a single malt outside of whisky hobbyists. In the past few years floor maltings have been installed and the wash still converted to direct heat. This particular release pre-dates those changes, but Glen Garioch will certainly remain of interest as the whisky industry hits increasing headwinds.  This particular cask was bottled by Cadenhead’s, and like many of 2012 cohort that the bottler has released, it was finished in a sherry cask for several years.

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Whisky: Glen Garioch 10 Year (2012), Cadenhead’s

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 57.9%

Cask: Fino Sherry Cask Finish

Age: 10 Years (Distilled 2012, Bottled 2022)

Notes: Big jammy fruits and cinnamon tea assaulted the senses— it was tea time with almond cookies, pots of cassis, strawberry, and rhubarb jams and spreads, and a slightly floral black tea. Grape gusher candies and fig stuffed pasties appeared with more lacquered wood and leather, which reminded me a winter chalet for reasons I could never discern. Medium-bodied on the palate with a youthful spirit that left a peppery tingle. There were plenty of jammy fruits and spices with cassis, raspberry, rhubarb, cinnamon, ginger and a kiss of anise. It was full force and all at once with bits of woody resin and leather polish lingering further in. A few drops of water tamed some youthful spirit, but left the flavor profile more candied with saccharine elements dominating. The finish was medium to long with a mild bitterness to the jammy fruits and peppery spirit.

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Score: 5-6 (75)

Mental Image: Chalet Candy Store

Conclusion: This was okay and water helped tone down some of the youthful spirit. However, water left it less to my liking and it was hard to escape the fact that this was a fairly straightforward cask bomb. I am not opposed to the occasional sherry monster, but fino maturations are rarely my style and I found this to be a bit of a miss. The cask was so strong I struggled to locate anything particularly distinctive about the malt.  Overall, suitable for the sherry inclined, but I will pass on another pour.