Glen Grant 25 Year; Gordon & MacPhail Single Cask
Whisky : Glen Grant 25 Year; Gordon & MacPhail Single Cask
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 43%
Cask : Ex-Bourbon
Age : 25 Years (Distilled 1989, Bottled 2015)
Nose : Fresh berries, cream, and the herbal licorice of lemon grass. Tart grapefruit and citrus notes develop before being subsumed by tropical fruits. Lychees, rambutan, green papaya, and soursop— along with the creaminess it is almost as if a sweet, creamy, tart lilikoi/passionfruit butter.
Palate : Light and fruity with prominent malty and subtle wood spice. Dried berries, sweet creamy apple bananas, starfruit, and dry herbal tea. Lovely backyard garden notes of floral sweet honey suckle and fresh herbs. Honey sweetened ginger pastries hang in the background.
Finish : Nice long finish with lingering honey, ginger, and a mild astringency
Score : 6
Mental Image : Passion Fruit Lavash
Something Similar : Longmorn 16Y (similar tropical fruits and cream, more citrus)
Something Similar : Arran 18Y (similar tropical fruits/malty spices, more earthy undertones)
Notes : This was quite nice. In fact, this was probably my favorite Glen Grant so far. Most of the others I have had were heavily sherried— and that does seem to be a popular style for the distillery. Yet, this was so nice, it would have been a shame to bury the delicious fruity malt flavors under any heavy cask influence. While ex-bourbon hogsheads, especially refill ones, do not get a whole lot of love among whisky aficionados— they are the most common type of barrel and therefore feel pedestrian— they really provide the best opportunity to appreciate the style of a particular distillery.
This Glen Grant had an excellent array of fruity notes. Though the body was a bit light, there was still plenty of depth and a beautiful long finish. I enjoyed this thoroughly and could easily see myself pulling this off the shelf to sip on a relaxing evening. It would be perfect for those nights you do not want anything too aggressive and you are just looking for something to hold your hand and sit with you for a bit.
