Whisky : Glen Grant 15 Year SMWS 9.172 “Quantum endramglement”

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 56.8%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon (14Y), Refill Guyanese Rum (1Y)

Age : 15 Years (Distilled 2 March 2004)

Nose : Fruity, salty, and oily.  Lovely malty cereal notes, sea water, and cream all drifted out of the glass.  Fruits abounded as it opened up with citrus, green pears, apricot jam, and dried persimmons.

Palate : Medium bodied the palate was nearly a perfect mirror to the nose with salt, fruit, and cream.  Rich chocolate fig jam, ripe apricots, blood orange syrup, lime zest, and apple juice.  Frosted Flakes, honey drenched date cakes, and almond croissants offered a lovely malty contrast to the fruit.

Finish : Lingering margarita salt and juicy lime.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Margarita Macarons

Notes : A sweet maritime forward Glen Grant, the rum cask finish on this imparted a lovely bouquet of tropical fruits.  While this was quite pleasant, it was overshadowed during a local virtual tasting by the more robust SMWS 139.6, a Kavalan with a heavy wine influence.  The Glen Grant was mild and fruity which contrasted nicely with salty and malty notes.  However, it was hardly a flavor bomb and got a bit lost in the tasting lineup.  There was complexity to this Glen Grant, but it was the sort of dram you really needed to sit with and slowly sip or enjoy by itself.  Overall, this Glen Grant presented a subtle and soothing experience with some unusual flavors and nice balance which rank it a bit above average according to my preferences.