Lady of the Glen Glen Garioch Tasting Notes

Lady of the Glen Glen Garioch 2008 (11 year old) 55.3%

Bourbon Hogshead 3194/ Dist: 2008 Btl: 2020/ Tasted: Jul 2020

The nose feels more mature than you would expect for it’s age with straw, dried heather, barley, earth and a touch of strawberry mousse. Good intensity with subtle American oak.

The palate is full, robust and barley’d with straw, heather and hints of honey, malt and strawberry mousse. Again the oak is very subtle but supportive and it has a lovely spirit intensity. Continues with earth and straw. Slightly masked finish with lingering straw, barley and alcohol enhanced spices.

Carn Mor Glen Garioch Tasting Notes

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glen Garioch 2011 (5 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Dist: 2011 Btl: Feb 2017/ Tasted: Jan 2017

A bit too young on the nose with rose petal marc and just a suggestion of heather, barley and creamy oak.

The palate is a little watery with barley, rose petal marc and an intimation of oak character. Short, lightly heathery and spiced finish. It really hasn’t spent long enough in the cask to develop character. 

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glen Garioch 2011 (6 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt/ Dist: 2012 Btl: Feb 2018/ Tasted: Jan 2018

A lightly sulphured nose with herbal-heather, dark honey and dried fruit.

The palate is quite crisp with a good minerality, but again a slight sulphur blemish. Hints of honey, heather, barley and dried fruit. Quite oily middle and a long, herbal and honeyed finish.

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glen Garioch 2011 (7 year old) 46%

First Fill Bourbon Barrel/ Dist: 2011 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Feb 2019

The nose is a little neutral and spirity with hints of heather, strawberry mousse, rose petal marc and raw cereal.

The palate opens with the rose petal marc and raw cereal and a touch of strawberry mousse and bitter tannins. Surprisingly it’s very grippy and woody on the middle and lacking any rich vanilla character. Short, spirity and bitter finish. Bottled way too soon!

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glen Garioch 2008 (11 year old) 47.5%

Bourbon Barrel/ Dist: 2008 Btl: 2020/ Tasted: Mar 2020

The nose is quite gristy and barley’d with hints of strawberry, fern, nettle and honey.

The palate is simple and a little watery with barley, strawberry and hints of nettles. The oak bitters slightly on the middle but a touch of sweet barley and honey counters on the finish. Lightly oiled, vanilla and coffee after-taste.

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Glen Garioch 1990 (27 year old) 50.6%

Bourbon Barrel 20251/ Dist: Feb 1990 Btl: Oct 2017/ Tasted: Dec 2017

Intense, almost gritty oak and gritty/ dusty barley. Quite malty which sort of balances the grit with earth, slightly doughy dark fruit and hints of mature honey.

Full and robust on the palate with a lighter barley character. Hints of earth, coffee and mature, baked fruit on the middle. Subtly oak and mineral finish with hints of pepper and slightly bitter chocolaty spices/ tannins. Pleasant and mature, but just lacking the wow factor.

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Glen Garioch 1991 (27 year old) 51%

Bourbon Barrel 20392/ Dist: Mar 1991 Btl: Apr 2018/ Tasted: May 2018

A beautiful, exuberantly fruity and heathery nose. Apricot, melon, apple, lime and kiwi notes all jostle for attention! Subtle, slightly dusty oak follows along with hints of nettles and herbal honey.

The palate opens with the dusty barley and hints of peanut brittle. Fleshy sub-tropical apricot, apple and melon follows along with heather and nettle notes. Exceedingly juicy but balanced by some grippy, slightly spicy oak. Slightly oily finish with lingering barley, peanut and pepper. 

Carn Mor Black Gold Series Glen Garioch 1998 (17 year old) 57.5%

Sherry Hogshead 3728/ Dist: April 1998 Btl: Jan 2016/ Tasted: Feb 2016

Dense, heavy aromas of Oloroso dried fruit with hints of dark prune, date, fig and walnut. Incredibly fresh and citric with some lovely, dusty, sweet spice and hints of heather and dark honey.

Full and treacly on the palate with a lovely, vibrant critic and mineral fresh character. Hints of chocolate, coffee, wood spice, sweet heather and honey mingle with prune, walnut and raisins. Lovely, earthy, sweet spice finish with just a touch of tannin and tongue tingling spice on the finish.

Mackillop’s Choice Glen Garioch Tasting Notes

Mackillop’s Choice Glen Garioch 1990 (22 year old) 53.8%

Bourbon Cask 10295/ Dist: Dec 1990 Btl: July 2013/ Tasted: Aug 2013

Now that’s an unusual nose for Glen Garioch! Intensely dark and malty with hints of liquorice and decomposing heather. Lightly peated and earthy with a touch of hops and almost rye-like dark spices. Very complex with the herbal/ hoppy notes increasing in pungency. These aromas hover somewhere between an old grain and an old rye whiskey.

The palate is dark, malty and spicy. Again there are loads of rye-like spices with a touch of coffee, barley and dark wheat. A seriously inense and earthy middle with hints of liquorice, bitter dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Extremely long with a herbal/ hoppy/ camphor/ old heather fade. Stunning!

With water the nose takes on a serious transformation. It has become less ‘dark’ with a distinct weetabix/ hobnob biscuit character. Some beautifully fragrant honey has now been released as has some lightly mature oak. The palate has also become less dark and very biscuity with a gentle chocolate/ toffee character. Still quite malty with hints of light treacle/ dark honey. The spices only really kick in on the finish now, but it still has a superb sweet/ bitter balance.

Mackillop’s Choice Glen Garioch 1990 (25 year old) 45.5%

Bourbon Cask 8554/ Dist: Nov 1990 Btl: Jan 2016/ Tasted: Nov 2016

Dark ,autumnal aromas of malt, with hints of creosote, cigar ash, treacle, marzipan and walnuts. Wonderfully luscious and mature with buttery oak and a touch of heather, honeysuckle and tar. That’s a fantastic nose!

Soft and silky on the palate with buttery oak followed by granity barley, malt, treacle, chocolate and toffee. The middle displays an almost grain-like crispness but the oak balances superbly. Long and luscious with gentle peat smoke and cigar ash notes along with some wonderfully mature honey to offset the drying wood spices.

Berry Brother Glen Garioch Tasting Notes

Berry Brothers & Rudd Selection Glen Garioch 1989 (24 year old) 46%

Cask 7857/ Dist: 1989 Btl: 2014/ Tasted: July 2015

Nose: A little austere to begin with brittle barley and hints of coffee’d tannins and soft vanilla. Given time it shows some maturity with dried white grape, pineapple, apricot, green apple and some lovely, dusty oak character developing.

Palate: Opens with oily vanilla and almond followed by straw and barley. Pleasantly mature and deep with lightly oxidised, sweetish, honey coated apricot fruit and hints of coffee.

Finish: Medium length with a gentle mineral and citrus finish along with lingering oily barley and oak.

Conclusion: Quite a dense and concentrated whisky, showing some lovely aged character.

Berry Brothers & Rudd Selection Glen Garioch 1989 (26 year old) 46%

Cask 7856/ Dist: 1989 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Oct 2016

Nose: Soft, macerated apricot, melon and banana along with gorgeously sweet barley and a lovely vanilla sheen. Hints of lime appears and there’s some charred oak notes in the background.

Palate: Opens with malt biscuits and heavily oiled fruit. Dense but unctuous and smooth with a touch of mature oak. However it’s the layers of oily fruit that take centre stage.

Finish: Long and crisper as the granite and citrus notes arrive along with a fleeting hint of peat smoke.

Conclusion: If the palate was as exuberant as the nose then this would have been exceptional, as it is, it’s just very good!

Edition Spirits Glen Garioch Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Glen Garioch 1993 (20 year old) 58.2%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0034

Dist: Sept 1993 Btl: Feb 2014/ Tasted: Mar 2014

Dense, dark and malt aromas with treacle, dark spice and dark honey. See the theme? A lithe, refreshing citrus thread runs through it and freshens. Lovely complexity with emerging hints of herbs, earth, liquorice, sawdusty oak, slightly sweet peat and dark chocolate.

The palate is dark, malty and treacly with dark honey and spices. Extremely malty with a balancing citrus note – tangerine and lemon. Very juicy and succulent middle but its still pretty robust, malt and spicy. Good length with a herbal and light mocha finish.

Edition Spirits Glen Garioch 1991 (25 year old) 56.2%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0185/ HL12828

Dist: Apr 1991 Btl: Sept 2016?/ Tasted: Oct 2016

A superb, malty nose with burnt wood and autumnal fruit. Hints of heather and juicy fruit follow along with a touch of cinnamon. With time a touch of smoke and vanilla can be detected.

The palate opens with plenty of stewed, plummy fruit, vanilla and toffee. Again autumnal and malty with developing mature oak and subtle spices. Long and grippy with a mouth-watering finish of almost rum-like, dark, stewed fruit, malt, treacle and oak. A very impressive Glen Garioch!

Hunter Laing Glen Garioch Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Glen Garioch 1994 (20 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2430/ HL10899

Dist: Oct 1994 Btl: Oct 2014/ Tasted: Nov 2014

A delicious nose of sweet barley and shortbread biscuit along with leafy herb notes. Hints of dark malt and fragrant, lightly stewed fruit follow. Gently spiced (cinnamon) with a touch of oak.

Creamy vanilla, toasted toffee and a touch of barley to begin with. Heavier on the oak than the nose would suggest but a touch of stewed fruit and malt comes through on the middle. Good length with a mouth-wateringly refreshing citrus and barley finish. Lightly herbal and sweetly spiced after-taste. I thought the palate was going to stomped on by the oak but the spirit comes through rather well.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Glen Garioch 1991 (21 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2262/ HL9809

Dist: Nov 1991 Btl: May 2013/ Tasted: June 2013

An intense and prickly nose of earthy barley, straw and citrus. Beneath lays some lightly creamy oak, honey, heather and malt.

The palate is quite alcoholic with hints of barley, malt, honey and wood spices just about discerned. Hints of demarara sugar come through on the middle but the finish is very dry and masked by the alcohol.

With water the nose becomes fresher and juicier with a lovely purity of orange fruit. Maybe showing a touch more oak now along with some gentle spice notes. The palate also shows more creamy oak now along with some sweet barley and straw. Again simpler but much more enjoyable with a luscious orange character. Long and juicy with a crumbly spice finish.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Glen Garioch 1991 (25 year old) 50%

Refill Sherry Hogshead/ Code: OMC2584/ HL12811

Dist: Apr 1991 Btl: Aug 2016?/ Tasted: Sept 2016

Malty and herbal on the nose with hints of treacle and grippy spices. Plenty of refill sherry character with a touch of barley, greengage, lime and baked fruit. Good balance and maturity with some late sweet spice and vanilla.

The palate is full and herbal with treacle, malt and almost tarry notes. Slightly chocolaty on the middle with the herbal notes picking up a head of steam. The alcohol comes through on the finish to freshen and allows hints of vanilla, mature rose petals and sweet spice to appear. In fact the finish has a lovely spicy intensity.

Douglas McGibbon Glen Garioch Tasting Notes

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Glen Garioch 2000 (9 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: DMG6299/ Dist Autumn 2000 Btl: Summer 2010/ Tasted: Mar 2012

A youthful, gristy, cerealy-marc like nose with hints of boiled sweets. It reminds me of young ‘toshan. The palate is pleasant enough, slightly grassy with some light marc and boiled sweets. Very granity with a developing spiciness and a touch of heather-honey. Ok length if a tad short.

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Glen Garioch 1995 (17 year old) 46%

Refill Sherry Hogshead/ Code: PRV0995/ DMG9767

Dist: Sept 1995 Btl: May 2013/ Tasted: June 2013

Dark, toffee’d aromas with a touch of lightly baked fruit and caramel. Reasonably complex with hints of malt, earth and liquorice.

The palate displays plenty of baked fruit, malt and earth. Stewed and quite toffee’d. A little short with some balsamic notes on the finish.

Douglas Laing Glen Garioch Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Old Particular Glen Garioch 1995 (20 year old) 51.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OLD0289/ DL11085

Dist: Sept 1995 Btl: Feb 2016/ Tasted: Apr 2016

Quite high toned, fresh and citric with hints of sweet barley and vanilla beneath. With time some aromatic and sweet heather becomes apparent along with some luscious honey aromas.

The palate is crisp with almost tart citrus, white fruit, barley and subtle toffee’d oak. A touch of clotted cream on the middle with a slight maltiness which develops through to the finish. Long with lingering citrus and gentle tannins. Possibly the freshest and crispest Glen Garioch I’ve tasted.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Glen Garioch 1992 (21 year old) 51.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OLP0028/ DL9901

Dist: May 1992 Btl: Aug 2013/ Tasted: Sept 2013

The aromas are relatively light with heather, dried fruit, toasty oak and a smidge of peat. The aromas have a distinct grain-like character with the oak giving it quite a ‘Bourbon’ feel. The oak continues to assert itself adding crunchy caramel/ toffee notes before becoming quite fragrant and buttery.

The palate is full and chewy. Again very grain-esque with plenty of crunchy toffee’d oak. Lightly smoky middle with a building piquancy. Lovely length with the heather, honey, brittle barley and warm spice notes lingering along with a delicate smokiness. Seriously impressive!

Douglas Laing Old Particular Glen Garioch 1995 (21 year old) 51.5%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OLD0390/ DL11471

Dist: Sept 1995 Btl: Nov 2016/ Tasted: Feb 2017

An earthy, edgy and very heathery nose with crisp white fruit and an almost grain spirit-like nip at the edges. Subtly mature and malty with sawdusty oak but balancing crisp barley. However the main focus is on the gorgeous Highland fruit and with time hints of gooseberry and lime appear.

The palate is very citric with mature, creamy oak and barley. Hints of baked fruit, malt, heather and herbs follow. Very malty middle with a long, heathery, herbal and lightly honeyed finish. That’s rather good!

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Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Glen Garioch 1986 (25 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2109/ DL7866

Dist: May 1986 Btl: Nov 2011/ Tasted: Dec 2011

A fresh, brusquely perfumed nose of apple and white fruit. Lovely complexity with some granity hard honey, berry fruit, brittle toffee and mature, sawdusty oak. With time some botanical spirit notes creep in to belie it’s age.

The palate is soft and rounded with some less brittle honey and sawdusty oak to begin with. Quite malty with dark fruit and some encroaching bitter oak. The piquant alcohol adds to the overall dryness and the finish is a touch short and botanical with a hint of spice. This really is a malt of two halves (on the palate) – lovely before the alcohol but creaking after the alcohol.

I tried a drop of water and it brings out some lovely, luscious orange, date and walnut aromas, but it doesn’t help the palate in fact it shows up its shortcomings rather too much. It’s now oily, flabby and a touch watery with a faintly cardboardy finish.

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Douglas Laing Directors Cut Glen Garioch 1993 (21 year old) 57.4%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: DIR0092/ DL10353

Dist: Apr 1993 Btl: Jun 14/ Tasted: Aug 2014

The nose opens with crisp, brittle barley and honey, followed by some fragrant white fruit – pear and peach. It develops a light balsamic, damp wood and treacle note as the aromas become darker and maltier with time. A rather interesting and evolving nose.

The palate is soft and malty. Quite dark in flavour with baked fruit and treacle. Some sharp citrus penetrates and brings out some lovely cinnamon spice on the middle, but the treacle and malt holds. Slightly herbal with a touch of stem ginger. Good length, which is slightly oily with the crisp citrus and apple lingering. Dry, slightly woody after-taste.

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Douglas Laing Provenance Glen Garioch 2014 (5 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: PRV1423/ DL13096

Dist: Feb 2014 Btl: Feb 2019/ Tasted: May 2019

The nose is cerally and malty with rose petal marc, pepper and hints of strawberry mousse.

The palate is fresh, citric and slightly feinty with strawberry mousse and black pepper. There’s no recognisable distillery character, in fact it’s more like ‘toshan! Becomes quite sweet on the middle but a touch of citrus sort of balances. Rose petal marc and herbal pot-pourri finish. 

Douglas Laing Provenance Glen Garioch 2010 (6 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1236/ DL11560

Dist: Jan 2010 Btl: Nov 2016/ Tasted: Jan 2017

Young and feinty on the nose with hints of barley and plenty of rose petal marc. Not much in the way of oak character.

The palate is quite sweet and barley’d but feinty and marc-like with an earthy mustiness. Far too young.

Douglas Laing Provenance Glen Garioch 2008 (8 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1321/ DL11993

Dist: Oct 2008 Btl: Jun 2017/ Tasted: Aug 2017

Aromas of herbal honey, heather and a ‘toshan-like sweet strawberry mousse note. With time the vanilla oak asserts itself and a subtle manurey undertone develops.

Earthy, heathery and manurey on the palate, which gives it a sort of peated feel. Gently honeyed with again the ‘toshan-like confected strawberry note coming through on the middle. Good length with lingering minerals and strawberry mousse.

Douglas Laing Provenance Glen Garioch 2010 (8 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: PRV1378/ DL12598

Dist: Feb 2010 Btl: May 2018/ Tasted: Sept 2018

A straightforward but reasonably deep and malty nose with heathery notes. Hints of cereal, treacle and a late strawberry mousse note.

The palate is a little lighter than the nose with more of the strawberry mousse notes, which morph into rose petal marc notes. Hints of malt and heather on the middle and a short but spicy finish. I think it should have been left for a few more years!

Douglas Laing Provenance Glen Garioch 2010 (8 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1416

Dist: Jan 2010 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Jan 2019

The nose is a little neutral with a slight marc-like note to begin with. With time a touch of apricot, rose petal, barley and perfumed heather appear along with a smidge of white fruit.

The palate displays youthful barley and hints of rose petal marc. Quite heathery with sweet barley, apricot and pepper. Medium length with lingering rose petal.

Douglas Laing Provenance Glen Garioch 2008 (10 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: PRV1435/DL13087

Dist: Oct 2008 Btl: Feb 2019/ Tasted: June 2019

Aromas of youthful strawberry mousse, pepper and tequila-esque pulped white fruit. With time it becomes slightly malty.

The palate is quite sweet with rose Turkish delight, strawberry mousse and granulated sugar. It’s a little confected but alcohol balances, even if there is a little raw spirit character. Medium length with pepper, spice and returning strawberry mousse and a sliver of white chocolate. In conclusion: I don’t think it has had enough time to develop the usual Glen Garioch character.

Murray McDavid Glen Garioch Tasting Notes

Murray McDavid Maverick Glen Garioch 1993 (10 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Pinot Noir W0407/ Dist: 1993 Btl: Aug 2004/ Tasted: Mar 2006

A youthful, vegetal nose with hints of peach, orange and citrus fruit. Quite oily with a hint of salt. All rather odd! Again a youthful cereal palate. Good length with charcoal and ash on the palate which certainly wasn’t on the nose and a lingering peat note. It might have been better given a few more years in the cask….. then again maybe not!

House of Macduff Glen Garioch Tasting Notes

House of Macduff ‘The Golden Cask’ Glen Garioch 1984 (21 year old) 53%

Bourbon/ Dist: 1984 Btl: 2005/ Tasted: Mar 2006

A clean surprisingly youthful nose, I’d swear it was only in its teens! A superb depth of earthy vanilla, orange, white chocolate with a delicate floral edge. Dry, light-med bodied, slow to build with an initial floralness giving way to delicate spice and tangerine, tangy alcohol and a very long length.

A drop of water emphasises the white chocolate and vanilla aromas, while on the palate it softens and brings out the lush creaminess and orange citrus fruit, as well as increasing the spicy length.