Whisky : Glenglassaugh 8 Year, Rare Cask Release for Nauticus 1st Anniversary

Country/Region : Scotland/Highland

ABV : 56.1%

Cask : Sauternes Hogshead

Age : 8 Years (Distilled 9 Feb. 2011)

Nose : Starchy cream, fruit, and subtly maritime.  Sweet grainy notes gave the impression of fermented rice or rice porridge while a saccharine wave carried the nose toward birthday cake frosting.  Fruity notes pushed in with apple butter and lemon rind gummies.  Apple wood smoke and funky maritime notes of hum ha or bagoong shrimp paste.

Palate : Medium body with a bright, almost effervescent, mouthfeel as citrusy sugars pop right away.  As the sugars settled notes of cream and salted butter came into focus along with sautéed apple slices and vanilla.  Funky notes of salt, shrimp paste, black cherry Koolaid, and pears arrived on the end.

Finish : Lingering waxiness with subtle citrusy sugars and 

Score : 5

Mental Image : Apple Butter

Notes : My first ever Glenglassaugh and boy was it a weird one.  I have no idea if it was the peated spirit or the wine cask that gave this such a funky edge.  While I do love shrimp paste and fermented maritime delights, I am not sure I really cared for the juxtaposition of those with creamy butter and apple slices.  

I initially tried this blind and was no where near guessing what this was.  I did not record in my notes what my guess was beyond correctly pegging it as a Glen Something.  I would not be surprised if I had thought this was Glen Scotia as it had the general funky-spoiled-cheese creaminess some Glen Scotia carry.

Overall, this was a really interesting dram, but not one that really left me wanting more.  The wife really disliked it and wanted nothing to do with it after her initial taste.  I cannot say I blame her, this was certainly a unique one.

Image Credit : Whisky Auctioneer.