Glenrothes 23 Year SMWS 30.117 “A dram of gratitude”
Whisky: Glenrothes 23 Year SMWS 30.117 “A dram of gratitude”
Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside
ABV: 61.2%
Cask: Ex-Bourbon (21Y), FF PX Hogshead (2Y)
Age: 23 Years (Distilled 14 Feb. 1997)
Nose: Spice, dried fruit, and chocolate. Dried dates, orange rind, and chocolate brought decadent holiday desserts to mind with cinnamon raisin bread and salted caramel brownies. Hints of pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, and sweet chilis left the impression of a spiced Mexican chocolate mousse.
Palate: Full-bodied with notes of dried fruit, toffee, and wood. Notions of Christmas cake with ample dried fruits and spice: dates, apricots, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Notes of clove lingered into tobacco, caramel, orange rind, and fudge.
Finish : Lingering notes of Christmas cake and caramel.
Score: 6
Mental Image: Spiced Christmas Cake
Notes: Distilled on Valentine’s Day in 1997, this dram was all Christmas. While I did not expect Saint Valentine to anoint this dram with floral chocolate notes or sensual oils, I could not help but recall the awkward grade or middle school crushes I dealt with circa Valentine’s Day, 1997.
This Glenrothes was an interesting contrast to the numerous full-term sherry maturations that SMWS has released over the last couple of years. It was just as full-bodied as those younger aggressive casks, though it was neither as rich nor syrupy. I do not think that was precisely a mark against this as more distinct fruit and spice notes came through on a less tannic body. Had I tasted this blind, I likely would have thought this matured in French Oak with the level of black pepper spice and chocolate that appeared on the palate and lingered toward the finish.
Overall, the rounded edges of this well-sherried Glenrothes allowed more depth to appear than one might expect of an aggressive first-fill PX finish. While I accept that these heavy cask finishes are quite popular, especially when one sees them in the glass and lets out a properly audible “ooooo, the color,” it is not a style I often enjoy. I thought this still worked pretty well, and I am sure that sherry-heads will find even more to love (and likely score this a few notches higher).
