Claxton’s Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Glentauchers 1996 (18 year old) 48%

Bourbon Barrel 1502-7884

Dist: Dec 1996 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Apr 2016

Beautifully mature aromas of tropical pineapple, mango and melon. Hints of crisp barley, sawdusty oak, honey and minerals. I don’t think I’ve smelt such a tropical Glentauchers before!

The palate opens with the creamy oak, apricot, white peach and pineapple along with an almost spritzy minerality. Lightly oiled middle as the barley and honey emerge. Long and delicately spiced with quite a malty/ barley finish, all set against a classic Glentauchers crisp and mineral backdrop. Very impressive.

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Glentauchers 1996 (20 year old) 51.1%

Bourbon Hogshead 1727-7293

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

Intense, dusty and Cognac-esque aromas of supple dried fruit and wonderfully mature American oak. Hints of dried barley, lemon and sweet, pithy orange/ Clementine follow.

The palate is wonderfully soft and honeyed with gentle oxidised fruit notes and hints of spice. Good depth and building intensity on the middle with the dusty oak powering through, but balanced by a touch of lemon and barley. Good length with lingering oak, vanilla and citrus. An all round beautifully mature whisky.

Carn Mor Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glentauchers 2010 (5 year old) 46%

Sherry Puncheon/ Dist: 2010 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Aug 2015

A luscious and darkly honeyed nose with raisin, pecan and some sweet malt. Slightly grainty with an underlying youthful biscuity character. With time the nose becomes lightly herbal and hints of earth and manure appear.

The palate is as luscious as the nose suggests with plenty of dark toffee and honey coated dried fruit, malt and barley. Lovely balance and a serious fruity depth. Lightly earthy with more of the sherry character and gentle spices coming through on the finish.

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glentauchers 2010 (6 year old) 46%

Sherry Puncheon/ Dist: 2010 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: May 2016

The aromas are slightly more aromatic and less raw than its sister cask, which was bottled in 2015. Quite smoky and treacly with a touch of barley and slight coal dust intimation. There’s plenty of herbal, rye-like sherry with a late meaty, peppery note appearing.

The palate is soft and quite mellow with plenty of pepper infused dried fruit and vanilla. Again the sherry is slightly rye-like with malt, treacle and plenty of herbal character, from not only the cask but the spirit as well. Lovely intensity with a herbal (surprise!) and peppery (surprise!) finish.

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glentauchers 2010 (7 year old) 46%

Sherry Puncheon/ Dist: 2010 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Aug 2017

A very grapey nose. Quite nutty with Manzanilla-esque sherry notes. Hints of manure, earth, sultana and dried apricot. With time there is a touch of Bovril, spice and dried fennel.

The palate is soft, grapey and nutty with hints of green tea and dried fennel. Very herbal and cereally middle with dried tea leaves, walnut and drying tannins. The finish is very drying with lingering rye-like herbs, wheat flakes and bitter tannins, although there is an underlying touch of dark honey. I’m not smitten by this one!

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glentauchers 2010 (8 year old) 46%

Sherry Puncheon/ Dist: 2008 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Aug 2018

Very herbal and very nutty aromas with a touch of spirit, green olives, treacle and coffee. A total sherry monster, but blemish free.

The palate is very nutty and subtly herbal with dried grape, treacle, sweet toffee, vanilla and sultana. Long and very oaky and toasty with first fill vanillins, pepper and oxidised black grape. It’s just like drinking a heavily oaked sherry.

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glentauchers 2010 (9 year old) 47.5%

Sherry Puncheon/ Dist: 2010 Btl: 2020/ Tasted: Jun 2020

Initially the nose is intense and minerally, like ‘tauchers tends to be. The herbal Oloroso sherry moves in quickly along with some buttery vanillins. Hints of pear and green fruit beneath. Vibrant and just about balanced with late coffee and dark fruit.

The palate opens with the sherry and malt biscuits. It feels a lot younger and there is definitely an edgy woody bitterness at work. Rather one dimensional and not as balanced as the nose would suggest. Intense, mineral, bitter and edgy finish with lingering burnt biscuits, liquorice and toasted caramel. Touch of green fruit on the after-taste.

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glentauchers 2011 (10 year old) 47.5%

Pedro Ximinez Sherry Butt/ Btl: 2022/ Tasted: May 2022

A rich but mineral nose with plenty of luscious, caramelised dried fruit, prune, plum, raisin, fig and date. The minerality of the spirit stands up to the sherry. Late cocoa powder.

The palate opens. with sticky toffee pudding, raisinated fruit and hints of coffee and slightly astringent herbal notes. Again, the minerality combined with the alcohol keep the sweetness in check, but it’s still very treacly. Long, toasty oak, date, fig and prune finish with a sweet ginger biscuit and chocolate after-taste.

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glentauchers 1996 (19 year old) 46%

Bourbon Barrel/ Dist: 1996 Btl: Jan 2016/ Tasted: Feb 2016

The aromas are quite full and fruity by Glentauchers standards. Heavy barley notes mingle with melon and apricot along with a touch of mature toffee’d oak. Gentle wood smoke and earth comes through along with heather and an almost salty minerality.

The palate is a little fresher, but it’s still wonderfully fruity – melon, apricot and a touch of citrus. Gentle wood spices and slightly drying tannin appear on the middle. Long with hints of violets, heather, lime, stones and wonderfully dusty oak.

Hunter Laing Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Glentauchers 1996 (18 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: OMC2449/ HL11149

Dist: Feb 1996 Btl: Dec 2014/ Tasted: Feb 2015

Edgy and herbal aromas with pepper infused barley and hints of butter shortbread, sour citrus fruit (cooking apples) and lightly sawdusty oak. With time some mint and camphor notes appear.

The palate is softer than the nose with more vanilla oak, but the edgy, herbal notes push through with a touch of baked fruit and lightly coffee’d spice following. Good length, if a little drying with a touch of dark chocolate and malt.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Glentauchers 2009 (6 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: HEP0160

Dist: Apr 2009 Btl: Feb 2016/ Tasted: Mar 2016

Aromas of crisp barley, white fruit, white liquorice and hints of honey, fennel and minerals.

The palate opens with the sweet barley and a subtle hint of toffee’d oak. Hints of white fruit, minerals and honey come through adding balance and freshness. Medium length with a lovely, crisp, citric and mineral finish.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Glentauchers 2009 (7 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: HEP0217

Dist: Apr 2009 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Dec 2016

Quite a malty and balsamic nose with straw, lightly herbal barley and ascetic notes.

The palate is full and barley’d with lightly bitter oak and astringent notes following. Young, herbal and intense finish, which although pleasantly mineral is a tad short.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Glentauchers 2005 (8 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: HEP0024

Dist: Mar 2005 Btl: Apr 2014/ Tasted: May 2014

A dense, nutty, oily and slightly herbal nose. The oak eases in with huge, chunky, bourbony notes – marzipan, frangipan, butter and wood spice. It’s so oak dominated that the sprite doesn’t have a hope!

The palate follows a similar theme. Soft, nutty, herbal and toffee’d with coffee tannins and sweet wood spices. Medium length with the oak drying and bittering the finish. The sweet herbal notes linger.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Glentauchers 2010 (10 year old) 46%

Wine Finished/ Code: HEP0443

Dist: Jun 2010 Btl: 2020/ Tasted: Dec 2020

A hard and mineral nose with subtle barley notes. A little industrial with under ripe/ green fruit.

The palate displays the usual ‘tauchers flinty minerality but again it’s a bit industrial with dusty barley. Short but mineral finish with a little white fruit.

Dewar Rattray Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Glentauchers 2007 (6 year old) 65%

First Fill Sherry Butt 900281 (part)

Dist: Apr 2007 Btl: Oct 2013/ Tasted: Oct 2013

Good grief that’s a stinky, farmyardy, earthy, pure, natural Oloroso nose! Raw does not do this nose justice, it’s visceral in its sherried intensity. Huge globs of balsamic treacle, tobacco, coffee grains and dusty tannins. A shrinking violet it isn’t! It’s like sniffing wood splinters. The spirit character, as much as it can be discerned has a definite herbal eaux-de-vie quality, and ordinarily I would hate this as it is so unbalanced, but….. sometimes a little flagellation is good for the soul!

The palate opens quite sweetly, well with a gritty Oloroso sweetness that is, but the searing degree of alcohol puts paid to that! Add in the buckets of wood tannins and it’s extremely dry. The big molasses, malt and treacle notes try to counter, but then the herbal spirit note cuts through it like a knife. Like the nose it’s raw and visceral. The combination of gritty tannins and treacle coat the mouth. God this is intense. This is definitely a love/hate whisky. The last time I experienced a malt with such a raw intensity was the Longrow Barolo finish and although it isn’t as complex as that one, this is a hell of an experience!

Dilution calms down the farmyardy notes and allows some perfumed midnight violet notes to appear along with some dried fruit. However taming the rampant sherry does mean that there is more of that young, herbal spirit on display now. The palate is still quite raw/green now and with out the punch of the alcohol it does show up a few off notes. So if you love your raw sherry monsters drink this neat!

Dewar Rattray ‘Cask Collection’ Glentauchers 2011 (7 year old) 59%

5 years in Sherry Butt 425, 2 years finish in an ex-La Guitana Sherry hogshead

Dist: 2011 Btl: Mar 2019/ Tasted: Apr 2019

A robust and herbal nose with creamy dried fruit, raw cereal, rose petal marc and yet more herbal Oloroso notes. With time some under ripe banana and sweet-ish barley can be detected.

The palate displays raw but sweet barley along with the expected raisin, sultana and walnut. Quite dense, malty and treacly with a touch of coffee and building, bitter tannins. Very winey finish with drying tannins, alcohol and subtle spices.

With water the nose shows no change. The palate, however is a little less raw but still very herbal and sherried. Less tannic but still a bit bitter. Dark chocolate, coffee bean, cocoa and dusty spice finish.

Dewar Rattray Cask Collection Glentauchers 2011 (10 year old) 59.4%

Sherry Butt 423 finished in 2nd fill ex-Glenallachie sherry butt for 21 months.

Dist: Jun 2011 Btl: Jul 2021/ Tasted: Sept 2021

The nose displays a distinct alcohol prickle, boiled sweets sherry, crisp green fruit, citrus and minerals. Slightly gristy with surprisingly subtle sultana and dried citrus fruit. Late baked apple and latex rubber.

The palate displays raisinated fruit and grippy tannin. Again the alcohol is very noticeable. Hints of green fruit, sweet, floral dried sherried fruit. Masked sherbty sweet finish.

Water makes the nose very sweet and sherbty, but at the same time very citric and mineral. Sweet lime/ lemon bonbons. The palate is soft and a little watery with homogenous sherry. Longer, but confected finish.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Glentauchers 1996 (16 year old) 58.5%

Bourbon Cask 1176/ Dist: 1996 Btl: 2012/ Tasted: Sept 2012

Quite neutral on the nose, almost like an oak aged vodka with a slight floral note and some creamy oak.

The palate follows the same theme, neutral spirit and creamy oak. There is a touch of sweet barley and some earthy spice on the finish.

With water the nose does open up a bit to display hints of perfumed white flowers. Gentle and delicate with hints of minerals and lime. The palate is quite oily now and a bit subdued as the oak has come forward and become quite creamy. Gently spiced middle with a mineral and flowery finish.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Glentauchers 1996 (17 year old) 54.5%

Bourbon Barrel 1178/ Dist: Feb 1996 Btl: Nov 2013/ Tasted: Nov 2013

A pleasantly crisp nose of honeyed barley with hints of grass, granulated sugar and a touch of summer flowers. Good maturity with developing tangerine notes.

The palate opens with a touch of gristy barley along with straw and honey. Pleasantly citric and quite piquant on the middle but a light floral note can be discerned along with some coffee and grass. Good length with the oak gently bittering the finish.

A drop of water opens the nose up revealing some luscious and juicy fruit. It seems a little younger now and dilution has given the oak, citrus and barley a lovely sheen. The palate is a gentle and rounded the oak has become a little milky. Like the nose it is pleasantly juicy with no bitterness in the finish now.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Glentauchers 1992 (22 year old) 48.7%

Bourbon Hogshead 6042/ Dist: Sept 1992 Btl: June 2015/ Tasted: Sept 2015

Light and citric but beautifully exotic with apricot, peach, pear, passion fruit, banana, melon and pineapple. All deftly sprinkled with castor sugar, a touch of barley and lemon follows. The oak adds some buttery vanilla and with time become lightly sawdusty.

The palate is a light and a little more barley led to begin with and the oak is a more milky in character. Wonderfully soft exotic banana and pineapple fruit appear, which is a bit more subtle than the nose suggests but still very impressive. Gently spiced with some dusty oak on the middle. Long and beautifully spiced – black pepper, coriander seed and a touch of aniseed. A gorgeously mature malt!

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Glentauchers 1992 (22 year old) 48.7%

Bourbon Hogshead 6042/ Dist: Sept 1992 Btl: June 2015/ Re-Tasted: Nov 2016

Gentle and fragrant aromas of white flowers, barley, herbs and subtle malt notes. Hints of citrus, minerals, crisp honeycomb and with time some lovely, subtle, slightly dusty American oak.

The palate is soft and barley’d with apricot, grass, citrus and dusty, mature oak. Beautifully honeyed with hints of minerals and toffee. Long and crisp with a touch of honeycomb, barley, malt and a light herbal nuance.

Douglas of Drumlanrig Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Douglas of Drumlanrig Glentauchers 2000 (11 year old) 46%

Refil Hoggy 7264/ Dist: 2000 Btl: 2011/ Tasted: April 2012

The nose is a bit raw and feinty. One feels that the stills might have been pushed a bit or a wide cut taken. Not unpleasant with some floral marc, straw, nuts, a touch of orange, grist and porridge oats. 

The palate is softer but still slightly industrial. Still there’s plenty of youthful cereal marc and a touch of burnt caramel. There is a touch of marzipan but the finish is rather earthy/ murky and there’s a bit of a metallic after taste.

Douglas McGibbon Glentuachers Tasting Notes

Douglas McGibbon 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!

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Glentuachers 1999 (12 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Code: PRV0780/ Dist Oct 1999 Btl: Feb 2012/ Tasted: Feb 2012

A fresh and gristy nose with a touch of burnt caramel, earth and vanilla. The palate is soft and milky. Quite full and slightly oily with carameled barley. Reasaonable length with some soft, sweet spice and citrus on the finish.

Queen of the Moorlands Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Queen of the Moorlands ‘Rare Cask’ Glentauchers 15 year old 58.6%

Sherry/ Tasted: Oct 2006

A rich, fruity, slightly floral nose. Good complexity and depth of slightly creamy and spicy sherried fruit. The palate is soft and rich and fruity with a good depth of spicy, salty, sherried fruit. The finish is slightly estery and spirit with some grassy notes.

With water it softens the nose, emphasising the malt and natural oils. On the palate it brings out some oily, floral notes, softening the sherry and alcohol intensity along with lengthening it. It definitely needed a drop of water.

James MacArthur Glentauchers Tasting Notes

James MacArthur ‘Old Masters Cask Strength Selection’ Glentauchers 1990 (14 year old) 58.5%

Bourbon Cask 14426/ Dist 1990 Btl: 2004/ Tasted: Dec 2006

This is a superb nose, classic granity hard Glentauchers with lovely honeyed, ripe fruits, a touch of tropical, gentle spice and lashings of super smooth vanilla oak. Quiet perfumed and absolutely stunning with notes of earth and white chocolate.

Soft yet granity hard on the palate, very, very dry with oodles of cereal-malt and a glorious late hit of gentle spice and vanilla encased fruit. This is superb, personally I’d take it neat as a drop of water kind of removes its malty impact, but wow what a length. You know when you’ve be Glentaucher’d!

MacPhail’s Glentauchers Tasting Notes

Gordon & MacPhail ‘Distillery Label’ Glentauchers 1979 (18 year old) 40%

Bourbon/ Dist: 1979 Btl: 1996/ Tasted: Jan 2002

A pungent, complex, heavy, oily nose, with estery fruit, bourbon oak and a distinctly waxy nuance.

Slightly sweet on the palate, softly fruity, full bodied and oily with hints of biscuits and caramel. Good length, very fruity with a tangy, dry finish.

Gordon & MacPhail ‘Distillery Label’ Glentauchers 1994 (20 year old) 43%

Bourbon/ Dist: 1994 Btl; 2014/ Tasted: Feb 2015

A little high toned and heavy on the marzipan and dusty oak. Quite full and dense, which is not surprising given the amount of oak! Pleasantly creamy with a touch of barley and grass coming through.

Full and rich on the palate. Again there is a huge amount of oak with just a hint of soft barley. A pleasant Highland-esque granity character begins to emerge on the middle taking the edge of the oak. Pleasant length with a spicy, lightly chocolaty and slightly bitter finish.

Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ Cask Strength Glentauchers 1991 (27 year old) 56.8%

First Fill Sherry Butt 6943/ Dist: 1991 Btl: Sept 2018/ Tasted: Dec 2018

Obvious aromas of dense, pruney and herbal Oloroso. Subtle oxidised fruit, orange peel, raisin, cinnamon, nutmeg and mature oak. Hints of toasted and burnt wood, orange conserve follow and the dried fruit becomes quite fragrant. A touch of classic ‘tauchers citric. mineral hardness appears to offer some balance.

The palate is rich and dark with plenty of treacle, dark chocolate, supple tannins, toffee, coffee and herbal Olrososo. The tannins become a little dry and bitter slightly on the middle but the oxidised prune and fig notes just about balances. The finish is masked by the granity spirit and tannins.

Water emphasises the mature wood and orange conserve. Unfortunately there is a slight sulphur/ cabbage note now. The palate is lighter and nuttier with the emphasis shifted to the mature oak. Hints of almond and vanilla appear along with a light earthiness but no sulphur. Slightly earthy finish which is still a little tannic and drying but nutty and vanilla’d.

DuncanTaylor Glentauchers Tasting Notes

DuncanTaylor ‘Whisky Galore’ Glentauchers 1990 (14 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Dist: 1990 Btl: May 2005/ Tasted: Oct 2006

Clean and slightly oily aromas of tangerine, vanilla oak, oily spices and dusty orange fruit.

Dry and clean on the palate opening with dusty spices and delicate fruit, then, bang, out of nowhere comes the lovely hard, crisp barley, more spices and a hint of juniper. Very long with the gin-like botanicals lasting , along with the spice!

Duncan Taylor Battlehill Glentauchers 11 year old Cognac Finish 46%

Btl: 2022/ Tasted: Aug 2022

There is a noticeable hit of the Cognac cask on the nose to begin with. Dried apple and spice, followed by crisp barley, white fruit, citrus, honey, minerals and gooseberry. That’s a lovely nose with depth, vibrancy and a good sweet/ sour balance.

The palate also opens with the Cognac cask and dusty spices. A touch fuller and meltier with vanilla, unsweetened honey, citrus, minerals and spice. Lovely vibrant, classic ‘tauchers middle with the cask and oily malt notes returning on the finish. Lingering minerality and sweet malt after-taste.