Glenrothes 21yo 1975/1996

Glenrothes 21yo 1975/1996

First Cask, The Malt Whisky Circle
Single malt - Speyside
Silvery gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dried apricots, starfruit, white wine, papayas, Chinese angelica, cinder toffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Starfruit, cinder toffee, Chinese angelica, leather, candle wax, celery salt, dried apricots, menthol. 
Finish: Long. Menthol, candle wax, dried apricots, white wine.

Comments: 

Cask 6051. Fruity and waxy, low level of typical sherried notes. Quite unusual, and the distillate has probably been overtaken by old bottle effect. It’s rather tasty, and unlike any other Glenrothes I’ve had.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenrothes 30yo 1989/2020

Glenrothes 30yo 1989/2020

Extra Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark amber brown
47.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Menthol, orange peel, lemon zest, roast pork, plums, five spice powder. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, expands, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Orange peel, lemon zest, five spice powder, plums, honey, molasses, raisins, hints of liquorice. 
Finish: Long. Liquorice, molasses, plums, raisins. 

Comments: 

Cask DL 14056. Minty and soothing, lots of spicy sweet meaty notes. It’s very gentle and frankly, a bit of a relief in the middle of an intense tasting. Quite delicious on its own.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenrothes 8yo 2011/2020

Glenrothes 8yo 2011/2020

Strictly Limited, Carn Mor
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber
47.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, strawberry laces, malted grains, honeydew melons, black tea, chocolate, hints of salted caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, cool, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Black tea, fresh baked bread, vanilla custard, honeydew melons, strawberry laces, cloves. 

Finish: Medium. Cloves, raisins, black tea, chocolate, salt caramel. 

Comments: 

Well sherried Glenrothes is always a pleasure, especially an expression as spicy and malty as this. Lots of fruit notes vie with tannic spice. But as a whole it’s quite well balanced and very enjoyable. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

SMWS 30.95 (Glenrothes 26yo 1990/2017)

SMWS 30.95 (Glenrothes 26yo 1990/2017)

2017, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside 
Golden
54.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coffee, orange peel, dark chocolate, raisins, cinnamon, leather, hints of black pepper. With water, toffee, mint, dark chocolate, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, slippery, cool.  
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Dark chocolate, leather, vanilla, coffee, black pepper, honey, hints of sugarcane. With water, mint, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, honey. 
Finish: Short. Orange peel, sugarcane, raisins, honey, dark chocolate. 

Comments: 

Sweet, and a little bit bitter, this whisky has a lot of complexity. There are also some spicy notes that really open up and clarify with a few drops of water. Running through all that is this chocolatey bitterness. Lovely. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes 21yo 1975/1991

Glenrothes 21yo 1975/1991

First Cask, The Malt Whisky Circle 
Single malt - Speyside 
Green gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, peanuts, white grapes, kiwifruit, green tea, cinder toffee, hints of white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, slightly astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Peanuts, sea salt, white grapes, kiwifruit, pears, hints of cinder toffee, hints of olive oil. 
Finish: Medium. Olive oil, sea salt, leather, cinder toffee, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Cask 6051. There’s some old bottle effect here, if I’m any judge. There’s something leathery and dusty, alongside some sweet notes I’d expect from Glenrothes, like cinder toffee and peanuts. Also some fruit in the background.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes 26yo 1990/2017

Glenrothes 26yo 1990/2017

Single Malts of Scotland, Elixir Distillers
Single malt - Speyside 
Yellow gold
44.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: White grapes, lemon zest, hoppy beer, malted grains, honey, hints of photocopy paper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, tingly, slightly sticky. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Lemon zest, malted grains, barley sweets, sultanas, sourdough bread, hints of kiwifruit. 
Finish: Medium. Sourdough bread, honey, hoppy beer, sultanas. 

Comments: 

Cask 35481. Nice and malty, with a tinge of bitterness. It’s doesn’t taste as old as it’s meant to be, with the flavours still bright and clear. It also lacks a bit of complexity, although that may be because of the low ABV. A pleasant enough dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes 10yo 2004/2014

Glenrothes 10yo 2004/2014

Old Malt Cask, Hunter Laing
Single malt - Speyside 
Dark amber gold 
50% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Raisins, damson jam, black tea, vanilla, Demerara sugar, hints of menthol. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, tingly, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Black tea, raisins, damson jam, walnuts, candied oranges, salt caramel.

Finish: Long. Menthol, salt caramel, raisins, damson jam, candied oranges. 

Comments: 

Cask #/H1 ref 10764. This is a sample bottle that’s sat on my shelf for a while. It’s quite pungent, mentholated and sweet. Highly enjoyable, and very drinkable. No water needed with this one whatsoever. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenrothes 12yo 2006/2019

Glenrothes 12yo 2006/2019

Founder's Collection, Whisky Baron
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
57% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, vanilla, red grapes, chocolate, cinnamon, hints of orange curd. With water, black tea, raisins, autumn leaves, hints of wet stones. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Sticky toffee pudding, vanilla fudge, orange curd, raisins, black tea. With water, wet stones, raisins, black tea, autumn leaves. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, raisins, vanilla fudge, chocolate. 

Comments: 

Cask 6147. The whisky is cloudy, a sign of the intense flavours within. There is a lot of sweet stuff, as you'd expect from a sherry butt, but there's more. There's something earthy, even tannic, which I'm told is characteristic of Glenrothes (I guess that's plausible. I don't believe I've had enough Glenrothes to know :)).

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes 19yo 1997/2017

Glenrothes 19yo 1997/2017

Unchillfiltered, Signatory
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla ice cream, chocolate, honey, rubber bands, fried eggs, hints of red grapes. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, thickens, evaporates quickly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Vanilla ice cream, autumn leaves, fried eggs, red grapes, hints of petrol. 
Finish: Medium. Fried eggs, raisins, toffee apples, autumn leaves. 

Comments: 

Thank you Marco for the sample. Cask 9259. It's unbalanced, this one, lots of the requisite sherried fruit, but with earthy undertones, and more than a touch of sulphur. There's fried eggs, rubber bands, even petrol. Yet, somehow, it still works. Very nice whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes 7yo 2011/2019

Glenrothes 7yo 2011/2019

Hepburn's Choice, Langside Distillers
Single malt - Speyside
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Burnt toffee, shortbread, malted grains, brown papers, hints of roast pork, hints of petrol. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, cool, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Orange zest, wet dog, hay, burnt toffee, vanilla, hints of peanuts. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, peanuts, burnt toffee, hay. 

Comments: 

Not your usual Glenrothes. This very young whisky has the characteristic toffee notes, but there's something meaty, something farmyard, and something fermented, very like engine exhaust on the nose. The farmyard bit resolves into wet dog on the tongue, but in quite a pleasant way.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes-Glenlivet 18 yo 1994/2012

Glenrothes-Glenlivet 18 yo 1994/2012

Authentic Collection, WM Cadenhead
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
53.6% ABV
Sampler

Nose: Orange blossom, brass polish, roses, black tea, pear drops, hints of coffee. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, tingly, sticky. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Roses, brass polish, orange peel, toast, white grapes, hints of peach. 
Finish: Medium. Coffee, white grapes, pear drops, hints of chocolate. 

Comments: 

Neat, this is on the edge of needing water... but not quite. It was quite superior without water - floral, fruity, bold and brassy, with a bitter bite of coffee on the nose and in the finish. This is really good whisky. I've not had many unsherried Glenrothes, this is a fine example of what I have been missing.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 30.80 (Glenrothes 23 yo 1990/2014)

SMWS 30.80 (Glenrothes 23 yo 1990/2014)

2014, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Yellow gold
54.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Dates, dried apricots, honey, vanilla, cream, marmalade.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, turns syrupy.
Tasting: Sweet. Marmalade, dried apricots, honey, dates, hints of plums, hints of chocolate.
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, marmalade, dried apricots.

Comments:

Wonderfully fruity and rich, like big heaping mouthfuls of fruit cake. I enjoyed this one very much, talking about whisky with a friend. More of a dessert dram than a first dram of the evening. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes 13 yo 1991/2005

Glenrothes 13 yo 1991/2005

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, molasses, raisins, plums, honey, peanuts, leather.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, cool.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Molasses, leather, plums, raisins, honey, hints of orange peel, hints of lemons.
Finish: Short. Walnut skins, molasses, plums.

Comments:

This is a bit stodgy because of the overwhelming flavour of molasses! I missed the Glenrothes red fruit, but upon further inspection it was actually still there - just buried under a molasses mountain. This whisky is hard work.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 30.59 (Glenrothes 16 yo 1992/2008)

SMWS 30.59 (Glenrothes 16 yo 1992/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
55.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brass polish, lemons, toffee, salt caramel, vanilla, hints of aluminium foil.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, metallic, astringent, thickens.
Tasting: Bitter sour. Lemons, dark chocolate, walnut skins, bitter gourd, hints of vanilla, hints of aluminium foil.
Finish: Bitter walnut skins, orange peel.

Comments:

A little bit too metallic to be tasty. Very unusual Glenrothes, very unusual whisky for that matter. Other than the pervasive aluminium foil notes, it's bitter, hinting at being sweet, but never gets there.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 30.55 (Glenrothes 15 yo 1992/2008)

SMWS 30.55 (Glenrothes 15 yo 1992/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
White wine
57.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, butter, tea, green beans, oats, hints of peanuts.
Mouthfeel: Light body, watery, quite static.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Kiwifruit, sherry, brazil nuts, salted peanuts, bubble gum, hints of sea salt. Water brings out notes of toffee and red grape.
Finish: Long. Toffee, chilli.

Comments:

Quite a varied whisky, with lots of fruit and nut going on in it. The official tasting notes describe this as "very pink", tasting of lots of pink things, but all I got was a faint whiff of bubble gum. Quite salty, surprisingly.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glenrothes 20 yo 1985/2005

Glenrothes 20 yo 1985/2005

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Warm amber
43% ABV
Mini

Nose: Raisins, vanilla, malty beer. Oat bread and hot cross buns. Dried cranberries.
Mouthfeel: Thick, full-bodied, creamy, very static, no expansion.
Tasting: Sweet salty, pepper and cloves, Sultanas, honey and banana. Rich, deep and complex.
Finish: Short but intense. Malty beer, raisin bun, hint of marmite on toast.

Comments:

Good mix of sweet and savoury flavours. Nice little Speyside, and very attractive little grenade-shaped bottles. Glenrothes does vintages instead of age statements, in 100ml bottles. Great for testing and tasting.

Verdict:

I like this.