Glen Grant 23 Year SMWS 9.169 “Enthralling and enticing”
Whisky: Glen Grant 23 Year SMWS 9.169 “Enthralling and enticing”
Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside
ABV: 56.4%
Cask: Ex-Bourbon (20Y), First Fill PX (3Y)
Age: 23 Years (Distilled 23 April 1996)
Nose: Fruity, herbal, and woody. Blood orange and pine filled the head of the glass as notions of sweet fruity sangria, muddled mint, lemon slices, and honey came together. Eucalyptus and chamomile tea hid under a blanket of sun-dried fruits and stained wood.
Palate: Medium-bodied with dried fruits, old wood, and spice. Jaggery sugar coated the palate with ginger candies, candied grapefruit, star anise, and raspberry jam. Cinnamon joined on the mid-palate with black pepper and cigar box. Leather lingered during a dry finale of roasted almonds and coffee.
Finish: Lingering dryness with almond extract and cinnamon.
Score: 7
Mental Image: Sangria in the Nordic Spa
Notes: I reckon the secretive committee at SMWS charged with naming bottles got this one mostly right, though I would have inserted the word “intense” somewhere. It was undoubtedly enticing with an aroma that pulled in different directions: fruit, wood, spice, herbal tea. The smell was enticing, but the palate felt a bit straightforward to capture my attention in an enthralling way. Please do not get me wrong; this was a great whisky as the PX finish accentuated lovely nutty and fruity elements without overpowering the experience. It was a tad dry and tannic for my taste, but that felt like a minor quibble on what was otherwise a delicious dram.
I would not have guessed this was Glen Grant had I tasted it blind. It reminded me a lot of a heavily sherried Glenlossie; in fact, I would have pegged it as a tribute band to SMWS 46.86— a Glenlossie with similar stats but an elevated and richer flavor profile. I am always a bit dubious when I see a twenty-something year malt with an aggressive cask finish, I cannot help but wonder what was wrong with the whisky? What was the cask manager hoping to achieve? Well, in this case, it worked out quite well.
Image Credit: Whisky Auctioneer
