12 years of whisky: the case for the ignored

Ending this series, and the year for that matter, I’m gonna shoot myself in the foot by reviewing a whisky no-one ever talks about. Because that’s how I roll. Usually I tend to ramble on a bit about the topic of the series or share some background information or context about the whisky before doing my actual tasting notes, but seeing how it’s ‘that’ time of year, I would very much like to take the opportunity to say ‘thank you’. To everyone who takes the time to read this silly little blog, some of you even take the time to comment and interact- silly buggers. This is very much just a wee hobby of mine, one of those nice little escapes from reality, making life more fun. There’s no greater scheme to things, no greater plan behind it all, so whether it’s 50 people reading (usually) or 500 (occasionally), I’m happy and grateful for everyone showing up. So, honestly and wholeheartedly, thank you for taking the time to read these weekly blogposts! Please know that it’s very much appreciated.

Also, a big thank you to my fellow CO’s – our fun and by now not so little community on Discord. It’s grown to become a safe haven for sure which has expanded well beyond the realms of all things whisky. Even though Ant and Nicky had to step down from their New Dram Drinker channel, it’s thriving, and it’s wonderful. Speaking of community: how can we not stop and shout about Roy and his buzzing hive of barflies and dramfacers?! I feel blessed to call him, and so many others of you, a friend. The fact that we’re hundreds if not thousands of miles apart and still consider ourselves to be just that - friends, speaks volumes about the welcoming and inclusive nature of this community. It's been said time and again, yet it never hurts to pause for a bit and acknowledge what a wonderful thing we've got going on here. Come for the whisky, stay for the people! I would like to name all of you, but at the risk of failing to mention one or two, I’ll leave it at that. (I hope) you know who you are!

Before things get overly cheesy and sentimental, I 'll leave it at that for the ‘acceptance speech’ bit. Time to talk whisky! In my first review in this series I mentioned there is absolutely no shortage of decent and affordable 12 yo whisky out there. And yet, if I ‘d ask you to name 5 (or even 10) 12 yo whiskies, I’m willing to bet today’s whisky won’t be on that list.

Glen Grant 12 yo, 43% ABV, bourbon and sherry cask matured, coloured and chill filtered, app. €38-€45, 2019 release

The history and background of Glen Grant makes for an interesting tale. The distillery dates back to 1840 and is (to my knowledge) one of very few that has been continuously operating ever since its opening. Which means it has survived, amongst other things, the Pattison crash, Prohibition and the whisky loch of the 1980’s. In fact, in the same year as the the Pattison Crash (1898), it opened the doors of a second distillery across the road. Initially Glen Grant 2, this second distillery did get mothballed soon after, only to be reopened again in 1965 as Caperdonich. By the end of the 19th century, Glen Grant was also one of the first global ‘whiskybrands’ well before that was even a thing, available on markets throughout Europe, the US, Africa and Australia. It’s the only one of 4 operating distilleries in Rothes open to visitors, and welcomes about 20,000 of them each year, attracted not only by the distillery but also by its impressive Victorian Park (built around 1880 by ‘Major’ James Grant, hence their NAS expression ‘The Major’s Reserve’). The fact that Rothes is home to 4 distilleries AND one of the world’s most renowned still makers (Forsyth’s) is pretty extraordinary, as it’s a tiny little town (or rather village) of just some 1000 inhabitants.

More trivia? Current master distiller Dennis Malcolm was born in 1946 on the premises of the distillery and started working there at the age of 15 (!) in 1961. And despite being the number one brand of single malt AND blends in the Italian market (which explains why Italian Company Campari were keen to snap up the distillery when Pernod Ricard deemed it surplus in 2006) I feel it’s fair to say that it is a very overlooked distillery. Whether that’s justified or not, well… let’s find out shall we?

Nose

Sweet orchard fruit galore! Apples, but almost to the point where it becomes apple juice. A hint of graindust, granulated sugar and cereal - bready. White melon, vanilla and honey. Simple (as in: uncomplicated), yet good, attractive and inviting.

Palate

Sweet, yet not as sweet as on the nose. The grainy element is more obvious, sitting alongside the orchard fruit. More white fruit, but this time more in the form of white grapes. A nice little salty touch prevents things from becoming overly sweet and there’s a subtle hint of oak sitting on a dry mouthfeel.

Finish: fairly short. Salty and woody with a soft, sugar like sweetness.

Final thoughts

Straightforward, yet very quaffable and pleasant whisky. It’s light, sweet and therefore pretty ‘summery’. If there’s sherry casks involved here, they didn’t do an awful lot of talking in my opinion. And truth be told, it suits this whisky just fine. It’s easy to see why people tend to overlook this one, as it’s both coloured and chill filtered (naughty, naughty!) but regardless of these ‘flaws’ there’s plenty to be discovered here. When you’re looking for an elegant, pleasant, fruity whisky and you’re keen on, say, Orchard House or Glencadam 10, you may want to also consider this little peach. 83/100

And that’s a wrap for 2022! Have a wonderful time celebrating Christmas and the New Year and see you in 2023!

If you're still here: I'm giving away a blind challenge as a way of saying 'thank you'. If you fancy getting your hands on it: subscribe and drop me an email saying 'challenge me'. A random winner will be picked after New Year. If I can't ship it to you legally (anywhere out of the EU currently, I'm afraid) and you're picked as the winner, I'll try and come up with a nice alternative. The good folk who've already subsiscribed, get a bonus entry - seems only fair. Obviously you need to be of legal age to enter the giveaway.