Whisky: Glen Garioch 18 Year (2003), SMWS 19.60 “Cosiness in a glass”

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 58.7%

Cask: First Fill Bourbon Barrel

Age: 18 Years (Distilled 17 Feb. 2003)

Nose: Ripe tropical fruits with lemon, mango, and pineapple; passionfruit and vanilla syrups with hints of mint and beechwood; guava jam with pineapple shortbread cakes and cured bamboo.

Palate: Medium-bodied, oily, guava and citrus syrups over a mound of shaved ice, pineapple shortbread cookies, vanilla with subtle hints of herbal mint and coriander, Dole Whip ice cream with brown sugar boba and taro pudding, mild drying toward the end with a touch of herbal hibiscus tea.

Finish: Medium to long with tropical fruits and shortbread.

Score: 7-8 (85)

Mental Image: Nēnē Goose’s Roadside Shave Ice Stand

Narrative & Notes: Beautiful bouquet of tropical fruits, ripe and sugary, with a spritz of lemony citrus across fresh-cut mango and pineapple.  Syrupier flavors built with time as passionfruit, vanilla, and blue raspberry arrived with hints of mint and beechwood— or little wooden spoons given for eating shave ice.  Guava jam, or hand candies, appeared later with pineapple shortbread cakes, cured bamboo, and musty dunnage.  Medium-bodied on the palate with an oily, almost syrupy mouthfeel that grew with each sip.  Sweet, tangy tropical guava, citrusy pineapple, and lemon splashed over a mound of shaved ice with hints of earthy tamarind.  Pineapple shortbread cookies appeared with a touch of herbal hibiscus tea, vanilla syrup, Dole Whip ice cream, and brown sugar boba with taro pudding.  The tropical sugar rush ended with a touch of herbal mint and coriander that faded to hibiscus tea and dried grass.  The finish was medium to long with tropical fruits and shortbread.

Wow, this was an absolute treat, overflowing with my favorite tropical notions.  I wish there were a bit more earth to balance some of the fruits, but some of those dry wood or cured bamboo notes provided at least something.  I initially tried this blind as part of our online whisky group’s mystery advent calendar and guessed that it was a twenty-something Longmorn from 1994 or prior when the distillery’s wash stills were still directly fired.

With the reveal, I discovered the whisky was an 18 Year Glen Garioch from SMWS: 19.60 “Cosiness in a glass.” Knowing what it is, I can absolutely see this as a Glen Garioch and I have had several outstanding sibling casks to this whisky. I really got into Glen Garioch for a while because I loved how closely it could hew to those syrupy tropical Longmorn.

Overall, a real tropical delight; perfect for sipping without a care or picking attentively through notes.

Theme: End-of-Year Favorites

The theme this December 2023 is cleaning the house, and the reviews posted this month are either things I did not get a chance to slide into a theme week earlier this year, drams I have poured to celebrate the holidays and end of the school year, or as part of our online whisky group’s mystery dram advent calendar. These are posted in no particular order!