Glenugie 27yo 1976/2003

Glenugie 27yo 1976/2003

Vintage, Signatory 
Single malt - East Highlands
Pale yellow
51.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Candle wax, pears, papayas, kiwifruit, barley sugar, greengages, white grapes, hints of white pepper. With water, greengages, white grapes, lemon zest, custard apples, sandalwood. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, warm, tingly, syrupy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. White pepper, clay dust, white grapes, candle wax, barley sugar, lemon zest, custard apples. With water, lemon zest, white grapes, custard apples, Demerara sugar. 
Finish: Long. Candle wax, barley sugar, papayas, clay dust, leather. 

Comments: 

Cask 2700. Fruity, slightly spicy, and a little dusty, this tastes old. Lots of stone fruit, and custard apples, which is a relative of the soursop. Some surprisingly waxy notes in the finish too.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenugie 25yo 1976/2001

Glenugie 25yo 1976/2001

Vintage, Signatory 
Single malt - East Highlands
Sunflower gold
51.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, lemon zest, sea salt, celery, malted grains, fresh baked bread, sultanas, hints of honey. With water, orange peel, dried pears, leather, hints of celery. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, syrupy, thick, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Sea salt, leather, celery, lemon zest, candied oranges, honey, smoke, hints of canned peaches. 
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, honey, lemon zest, celery, sea salt. 

Comments: 

Cask 2699. Lovely old expression this, heaps of old bottle effect, that celery note as clear as a bell. There’s some gentle smoke in this, but it’s in the background and is dominated by a lot of fruity, almost jammy notes. Utterly lovely. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glenugie 31 yo 1966/1998

Glenugie 31 yo 1966/1998

Silent Stills, Signatory
Single malt - Eastern Highlands
Green gold
53.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green apples, vanilla, cotton candy, leather, lemons, hints of hazelnuts.
Mouthfeel: Light body, slippery, smooth, airy.
Tasting: Sweet sour . Green apples, cotton candy, hazelnuts, lemons, plums, honey, hints of leather. 
Finish: Short. Cotton candy, green apples, honey, hazelnuts.

Comments:

Oof! This is the priciest dram I've ever had. Was it worth it? Hmm, not sure. It was definitely tasty whisky, loads of tangy green apple sourness, with nice hits of honey and hazelnuts. Very good whisky, in fact. But I conclude that this was expensive because it was rare, not because it was good. That's always slightly disappointing.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glenugie 33 yo 1977/2011

Glenugie 33 yo 1977/2011

Signatory, Cask Strength
Single malt - Eastern Highlands
Russet
57.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Hazelnuts, red wine, cherries, red grapes, mead, hints of orange peel. With water, cream, roses, orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, watery.
Tasting: Sour. Cherries, hazelnuts, red grapes, mead, roses, hints of orange peel. With water, sweeter, cream, milk, roses, orange peel, cloves.
Finish: Long. Mead, cherries, hazelnuts, cloves.

Comments:

Heck of a sherry monster, this one. A delectable combination of mead, wine, Cointreau and scotch. That sherry cask sure did the whisky justice, as we will never see its like again.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 99.13 (Glenugie 31 yo 1980/2011)

SMWS 99.13 (Glenugie 31 yo 1980/2011)

2011, SMWS
Single malt - East Highlands
Dark gold
48.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, molasses, quince jam, pineapple, tobacco leaf, orange peel. With water, sweeter, strawberries, peaches.
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, loose.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Quince jam, orange peel, tobacco leaf, molasses, leather, charcoal. With water, peaches, salt.
Finish: Long. Orange peel, quince jam, pineapple, charcoal.

Comments:

I won't pass up old Glenugie easily (is there any other type?). Very fruity, lots of sweet savoury descriptors, but there are weird bitter notes in the taste and the finish. They don't detract from what is a pretty complex whisky though. Maybe this should have been bottled a little earlier?

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 99.11 (Glenugie 29 yo 1980/2010)

SMWS 99.11 (Glenugie 29 yo 1980/2010)

2010, SMWS
Single malt - Eastern Highlands
Yellow gold
43.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butter, lemons, oranges, grass, honey, dragon fruit, kiwifruit. With water, sweeter, lighter, more honey and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, thickens, smooth.
Tasting: Sour. Lemons, oranges, grass, wet stones, honey, kiwi fruit, hints of mango. With water, more honey, vanilla appears, more dragon fruit, lychees.
Finish: Short. Vanilla, honey, grass, lemons, wet stones.

Comments:

Light and refreshing, very flavourful. Lots of different kinds of tropical fruits seem to burst in every mouthful. The whisky tastes delicate, but there's a sort of flinty hard edge to it. Unfortunately, it doesn't take water well, and it changes a lot after about 10 minutes. The fruit seems to oxidise, coming stale and cardboardy. Great while it lasts though.

Verdict:

Not bad.

SMWS 99.10 (Glenugie 25 yo 1980/2005)

SMWS 99.10 (Glenugie 25 yo 1980/2005)

2005, SMWS
Single malt - Eastern Highlands
Orange gold
47% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, chocolate, orange peel, pink honeydew melon, sage, butter, hints of milk chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, slightly watery around the edges.
Tasting: Bitter. Butter, honeydew melon, sage, walnuts, cream soda, orange peel, hints of chocolate.
Finish: Medium. Walnut skins, hints of cream soda, butter.

Comments:

Glenugie is a distillery I've had high expectations of - it's been really built up in my mind. Perhaps because of that, I found this whisky a little disappointing. It's quite pleasant, but the bitterness in the mouth takes away that little bit of enjoyment.

Verdict:

I like this.