Vintage Malt Whisky Company Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Vintage Malt Whisky Company ‘Coopers Choice’ Glentauchers 2009 (8 year old?) 46%

Bourbon Cask 9882/ Dist: 2009 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Oct 2019

A juicy and aromatic nose with castor sugar coated tropical apricot, orange, melon, lime and barley. Subtle vanilla oak and with time a touch of earth. An absolutely delightful nose!

The palate opens with a touch more barley and grittier oak tannins. Not as effusively tropical as the nose suggests but still very fruity. Long and citric, quite mouth-watering with lingering barley and castor sugar

The Whisky Baron Glentauchers Tasting Notes

The Whisky Baron Founders Collection Glentachers 2014 (6 year old) 62.5%

Sherry Hogshead 9900329/ Dist: Nov 2014 Btl: Dec 2020/ Tasted: Jun 2021

A very fresh nose of Mezcal-like pulped smoky white fruit and barley. With time the sherry begins to assert itself with notes of treacle and raisinated fruit along with rubber and minerals. Given time the sherry does become a bit dominating.

The palate opens with a deluge of smoky raisinated fruit, dried citrus, tannin, treacle and alcohol! The finish is masked, intense and gritty with hints of citrus, minerals and alcohol enhanced spices.

Water lessens the impact of the sherry cask and allows more of the pulped fruit, minerals and sweet barley to show. Hints of chocolate powder and softer dried fruit. The palate is also softer and like the nose less sherry influenced. Rounded barley, white fruit, minerals, lemon wood spice and dried fruit. Lovely length with plenty of silky, juicy dried fruit, barley, toffee and chocolate.

Skene Whisky Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Skene Cask Classics Glentauchers 2008 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon Hogshead 901220/ Dist: Oct 2008 Btl: June 2016/ Tasted: Apr 2018

The nose is a little feinty and shows a raw cereal character, but there is some pleasantly sweet barley, honey and malt to balance.

The palate is again a little feinty with watery white fruit, honey and granite notes. A bit so, so with a light citrus and mineral finish.

Mossburn Distillers Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Mossburn Distillers No17 Glentauchers 2008 (10 year old) 46%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Batch 27.0308.17

Dist: 2008 Btl: Dec 2018/ Tasted: Jun 2019

A gristy and aromatic nose. Quite granity with barley, minerals, citrus and a touch of pear and apple. With time some slightly oily spirit notes come through.

The palate is granity and citric with white fruit and barley. Subtly gristy and sweet with a touch of oily spirit. Apricot and orange come through on the middle and the finish is long, barley’d and mineral with lingering granulated sugar, barley and natural oils. Lovely balance!

North Star Spirits Glentauchers Tasting Notes

North Star Spirits Glentauchers 2008 (10 year old) 57.5%

Bourbon Hogshead finished in an ex-Beaujolais Barrique

Dist: March 2008 Btl: Sept 2018/ Tasted: Sept 2018

The nose opens with plenty of sweet, winey gamay fruit and hints of granite, barley and vanilla. Subtle bubblegummy fruit notes appear along with hints of fern, bracken, wood smoke, tannin and greengage. That’s a very appealing nose!

The palate is quite coffee’d and woody. It’s a little closed with sweet redcurrant fruit, barley, wood spice, pepper, granite and heather. Long and peppery with noticeable, but well contained alcohol.

Water makes the nose less winey and thus the focus transfers to the youthful, crisp, granity and barley’d distillery character. The palate is also lighter on the wine with subtle barley, vanilla and some lovely apricot, peach and pear. It starts off a little slowly but the intensity builds well to a good violety and peppery finish.

North Star Spirits Glentauchers 2007 (11 year old) 58.9%

Refill Bourbon hogshead finished in Pedro Ximinez

Dist: Apr 2007 Btl: May 2018/ Tasted: May 2018

The nose is slightly smoky with luscious apple, apricot and coconut. Quite barley’d and very juicy with crème caramel and sweet treacle. The herbal sherry notes emerge with time, along with some sweet wood spice.

The palate kicks off with the sweet barley and vanilla toffee American oak. The herbal and treacly sherry appears fairly swiftly along with wood smoke, prune almond and an almost French oak-like character. Quite masked with the sweet and juicy Pedro Ximinez notes lingering along with a touch of caramelised orange and prune.

Water flattens the nose a little, still quite nutty, herbal and possibly a bit more sherried. On the palate it makes it sweeter and emphasises the treacle. Longer now with lingering dark malt.

House of Macduff Glentauchers Tasting Notes

House of Macduff ‘Golden Cask – Reserve’ Glentauchers 2011 (10 year old) 59.2%

Bourbon Barrel/ Ref: CM283/ Dist: Jul 2011 Btl: Oct 2021/ Tasted: Mar 2022

A crisp, fresh and very lemony nose. Lovely intensity, which comes across as almost grainy, nippy and spicy. A touch of honey softens along with vanilla, barley and toffee.

The palate is fuller and shows more vanilla and barley. Subtle crisp spirit and mineral notes. The oak, possibly first fill, appears on the middle with toffee and butter. The alcohol is well contained, although the finish is masked but very spicy with returning vanilla.

Water sweetens the nose and makes it fruitier, just this side of confected, but very juicy. It’s less citric and mineral as well. The palate mirrors the nose, fuller, fruitier, almost estery. Long, juicy barley finish.

Cadenhead’s Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Cadenhead’s Wood Range – Sherry Cask Glentauchers 2010 (10 year old)

Bourbon/ Manzanilla Finish (since Jun 2019)

Dist: 2010 Btl: 2020/ Tasted: Aug 2021

There’s plenty of crisp, citric minerally distillery character on show, along with a raw Manzanilla grapiness. Hints of barley, lemon, orange, honey and late gritty tannins and herbal nuances.

The palate is softer and less gritty. There’s more honey and sherried dried fruit/ grape. Luscious and full bodied with a touch of citrus, vanilla and minerals. Lightly oiled middle and a long, sweet dried fruit, coffee, citrus and mineral finish.

Water emphasises the grapey dried fruit and orange on the nose. Still pleasantly crisp. The palate is still full but shows more citrus. Good balance and a lightly herbal finish now.

Bartles Whisky Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Highland Laird Glentauchers 1996 (18 year old) 52.2%

Bourbon/ Dist: 1996 Btl: 2014/ Tasted: Oct 2014

The aromas are quite gristy and fresh with taught honey, grass and robust herbal barley. Lovely intensity with a touch of gritty coffee’d tannins, spice an creamy oak with time.

The palate is dense and honeyed with sweet-ish barley and coffee’d tannins. More mature than the nose suggests and maltier too! Lovely herbal note on the middle and a long finish with the creamy oak coming through with a touch of sweet tangerine. 

Highland Laird Glentauchers 1996 (20 year old) 58%

Bourbon Barrel 7301/ Dist: 1996 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

Crisp, fresh and very mineral aromas with an almost grainy bite. Barley, citrus and grass follows with a touch of honey and creamy vanilla oak. Pleasantly fragrant and aromatic.

The palate is fuller with more oak character and more barley. It’s still quite mineral and citric with subtle honey and building, crisp, grainy spice. Long, white fruit and mineral finish with lingering oak and honey.

Douglas Laing Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Old Particular Glentauchers 1996 (18 year old) 48.4%

Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: OLD0202/ DL10779

Dist: Dec 1996 Btl: May 2015/ Tasted: Aug 2015

The nose is a little musty with baked fruit, barley and a touch of vanilla.

The palate is soft and generously endowed with vanilla custard notes. Slightly granity and lightly honeyed with again a little earthy/ mustiness. Tart, citric finish with lingering vanilla.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Glentauchers 1996 (20 year old) 51.5%

Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: OLD0417/ DL11635

Dist: Dec 1996 Btl: Mar 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is quite full and barley’d for a Glentauchers with citrus, creamy oak, marzipan and subtle, mature baked fruit. With time the oak becomes slightly dusty.

The palate is crisper and more mineral with plenty of citrus, white fruit, barley, orange, lemon and spice. The oak is pleasantly vanilla’d and creamy but also show a subtle sawdusty character as well. Stunningly deep. Long and citric with lingering barley, white liquorice, minerals, and sweet vanilla. Very impressive.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Glentauchers 1996 (21 year old) 51.5%

Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: OLD0549/ DL12199

Dist: Dec 1996 Btl: Dec 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2018

The nose is fresh, citric and mineral with gorgeously sawdusty American oak. Hints of lime, green melon, greengage and barley follow. Lovely maturity and balancing crisp minerality.

The palate is fuller with more toffee’d oak up first followed by mature, sawdusty notes. Hints of barley, melon, lime and coffee’d tannins/ spices arrive on the middle. Long and fresh finish with sawdust, gooseberry, citrus, and minerals. Pretty well balanced!

Douglas Laing Provenance Glentauchers 2009 (7 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1217/ DL11361

Dist: Apr 2009 Btl: Aug 2016/ Tasted: Oct 2016

A fresh and fruity nose with a distinct Sauvignon Blanc-esque character. Aromatic and summery with hints of grass, white fruit, citrus, barley and vanilla.

The palate is equally as fresh, crisp and citric with some off-sweet barley, grass and white fruit. A touch of sub-tropical fruit comes through on the middle and the finish is long, citric and grassy with balancing sweet fruit.

Douglas Laing Provenance Glentauchers 2007 (9 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt/ Code: PRV1178/ DL11086

Dist: Mar 2007 Btl: Mar 2016/ Tasted: May 2016

A nose of flambéed banana with a sherry syrup and toffee topping! Hints of barley and spicy, dried fruit follow along with a late balsamic note.

The palate is very balsamic and malty with sweet toffee and dried fruit. A little winey red fruit comes through along with hints of almond and walnut. Long and very creamy with lingering almond essence and toffee coated apple and banana. Interesting!

Grindlay’s Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Grindlay’s Single Cask Release Glentauchers 1996 (19 year old) 54.5%

Cask 7811/ Dist: 1996 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: June 2016

A gorgeously mature and tropical nose with lemon zest, orange blossom honey, pear, peach and barley. Hints of freshening mineral laced  gooseberry and citrus. Water emphasises the honey, mature barley and orange.

The palate is luscious and honeyed with more barley and less tropical fruit. Wonderfully layered and deep with a touch more creamy oak. Good citric and mineral middle. Water emphasises the juicy orange and honey. Long and crisp with mouth-watering citrus with hints of straw and herbs. Water makes the finish exceedingly juicy. In conclusion: Now that’s how I like my Spey’s. Beautifully complex and layered. A real joy to drink!