The always interesting, but also weird Glenrothes.

Why weird? Because in general they make awesome whisky, but they tend to not bottle it themselves. The official bottlings are rather generic, most of the times, while the independent bottlers tend to be pretty good.

This one is an oldie, bottled 14 years ago, and a sample was part of the Advent Calendar that I bought last December. Come to think of it, it’s around the time to start thinking of a new Advent Calendar. Unfortunately, getting one from the UK into the modern world is pretty tough and/or expensive.

Of course, I tried this months ago, when I did the bi-weekly Tuesday Night sessions with JPH, trying every sample the Calendar over the course of a few weeks. Let’s find out if this one fits the mold!

Sniff:
Massive sherry on the nose with heaps of dried fruits. Plums, dates, apricots, raisins. A bitterness of plum stones, some spices too. Lots of oak. Quite some alcohol on the nose.

Sip:
It is pretty gentle on the arrival, but the alcohol starts nipping after a few seconds. It’s not too strong, even as the opener of the night. Dry oak, dry spices, lots of dried fruit. Quite succulent, with hints of treacle, even some dark chocolate. I guess that’s the hint of bitterness.

Swallow:
A very long finish with more fruit and less spices than before. Dates, plums, apricots. Raisins. The bitterness is gone now.

This scores a little above 89 points on Whiskybase and that’s exactly where I put it after trying it. It’s a very good Glenrothes, and does everything the distillery does well. Good sherry casks, rather complex. Very good whisky!

89/100