Glen Garioch 12 Year

Strong body

On the nose pear jumps out first, then hay/grass, damp, floral. Maybe a slight honey note. The palate has a sharpness to it. Something like a white cheese or yogurt comes to mind. Malty. Some leather. There's a honey-apple sweetness in there, but this isn't an especially sweet dram. Slightly underripe pear. Some vanilla. A little bitterness at the finish. Leather. I think this has the potential to grow on me. It comes across as somewhat challenging and definitely not a beginner-level dram. I can definitely see some resemblance to something Campbeltowny like Springbank/Kilkerran (see the review by @cascode who makes the connection. Also thanks to him as a good part of my decision to purchase was due to his review). Interesting whisky. I'll likely update this review as I make my way through the bottle. Update: This has been growing on me. Vanilla, honey, leather. Upping score to 4.0.

Good

Nose: Leather, lemon, honey, a light waft of wildflowers. Some furtive sherry cask aromas in the background. After resting in the glass I noticed hay, earth, machine oil and a briny maritime quality. Nosing this is like walking through a newly harvested field beside the sea on a sunny day. Palate: Sweet, malty arrival with morello cherries and papaya. A touch of ginger together with grassy herbal notes in the development. A scritch of black pepper and smoked capsicum, and towards the finish the sweet character returns. Whisky with progression – yay! There is a zesty citrus and spice quality and the texture is lightly oily. Finish: Medium. Black tea with a mild spicy sweet citric aftertaste. This one flew right under my radar when it first came out and I've ignored it for a decade, but I’m very happy I finally got around to tasting it, and even happier that it is still available as a core-range product. The nose gains a dusty floral aroma with water but it loses more than it gains. The neat nose on this is lovely so don’t bruise it. Water develops a creaminess on the palate but it also elevates the spice notes above the base malty character, which is a pity. All in all, take this one neat. A word to the wise … are Hazelburn, Kilkerran or Ben Nevis scarce in your neck of the woods? Give this a try. Tasted from a 30ml sample. My glass is empty now and I want another pour – bottle ordered without hesitation. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)