Glen Garioch 19 Year 1995, Exclusive Malts
Whisky: Glen Garioch 19 Year 1995, Exclusive Malts
Country/Region: Scotland/Highland
ABV: 56.3%
Cask: Guyana Rum Cask Finish
Age: 19 Year (Distilled 19 Sept. 1995, Bottled July 2015)
Nose: Fruity syrups, musty dunnage, and chocolate. Under shaded palm trees, a desert shack served coconut and banana ice cream, fruity tropical syrups over shave ice, caramel apples, and drizzles of chocolate syrup. Watermelon and mango notes pulled in slightly different summery directions while earthy hints of musty dunnage and beachside underbrush hung in the background.
Palate: Medium-bodied with a bright, almost effervescent profile of tropical fruit, caramel, and spice. Dried tropical fruits— mango and lychee candies with hints of apple bananas, guarana saltwater taffy, custardy fruits, vanilla, and mellow hibiscus or achiote. Peppery spice crashed the tropical party with undercurrents of caramel and cocoa powder.
Finish: Lingering notes of peppery tropical fruit.
Score: 6
Mental Image: Jurassic Park’s Tropicana Blast
Notes: A delightful Glen Garioch matured in a unique cask from a now defunct-independent bottler— this was enjoyable but never quite came together as well as I hoped. There were layers of lovely tropical fruit on the nose with hints of musty dunnage warehouses and beachside debris. The palate was bright with a notable structure as a spice, and a bit of spirited heat came on at the end. However, the layers clashed more than they complimented or contrasted. It was never clear where the rum cask influenced started and the malt began— or vice versa.
Overall, it was an intriguing malt, especially as rum cask maturations and finishes are few and far between. I wonder if rum fans might find more to love or have an informed guess about the provenance of the slightly funky rum cask. A tad hot at times, I thought a few drops of water accentuated some of the underlying caramel and banana notes.
Image Credit: Whiskybase
