Glenglassaugh Evolution

Glenglassaugh tasting evening, Sydney, 19 February 2019. Whisky #1 Nose: Fragrant grassy malt, sweet honeyed cereal, tropical flowers and fruit, red apple and a hint of bubblegum. A dash of water brings out some oak from the background. [The dry glass is fragrant honey]. Palate: Sweet malty arrival with a hint of spice. The development brings a honeyed vanilla touch balanced by a light salt note. Adding water amplifies the spice and sweetness together. The texture is quite full and satisfying. Finish: Medium/long. Stewed fruits with an earthy, grounded quality. There's a sweet cereal note in the aftertaste which is very pleasant. A very fruity and fragrant nose (but I don't get the slightest hint of the "campfire" note mentioned in the official notes). The palate is very agreeable with no intrusive off notes, just a mild spice touch with a sweet, rich and slightly vegetal background that gives weight but is not cloying. Great stuff. I reviewed this about a year ago and at that time I thought it to be fruitier and lighter, but although the profile of this batch is richer the overall level of quality has not diminished - if anything, it has increased. Note: In 2016 the distillery was bought (along with Benriach and Glendronach) by Brown Forman who own Jack Daniels, so since that time the whisky has been matured in JD casks instead of Dickel casks. Whether this will have any noticeable effect on the product we won't know for a few more years, but I'd doubt it would. I think this is a greatly underestimated single malt. It has some qualities reminiscent of Bruichladdich and others that bring Mortlach to mind. The Glenglassaugh distillate is "big" and can handle forceful maturation in a wide array of casks, which is exactly what they do. Previously I rated this at 83/100 but I'm increasing that again to 85 as it deserves a summary tag of "very good". Remarkably, it's also reasonably priced, to the point where I'd call this a bargain. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars) ------------------------------------------------------ [Original review on Distiller April 26, 2017] Nose: Intensely fruity with apple, pear and a hint of over-ripe orange. Some banana and wafts of coconut as well as vanilla notes. After a while a definite oak character shows through which is when you figure out where all that fruit and vanilla came from - reasonably fresh ex-George Dickel casks. Ah ha! Palate: Fruity but the main impression is of young, fresh barley. This is obviously a young spirit, but it is uninhibited and very enjoyable. Light and quite sweet with a certain brassy, grassy, hay-like undercurrent. Refreshing. Finish: Surprisingly long and fruity sweet. Quite delightful. Critically it has not been lauded, which I think is a shame as there is a lot to like here. All up a real success. I'd recommend this to a friend, but maybe not one who only likes sherry bombs - this is a vigorous, young bourbon-driven experience. Update: Near the end of the bottle, about 3 months later. This just gets better and better. Oxidization does it no harm at all and with time it gains some wonderful complexity. Great stuff. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars) [AUD$100.0 per Bottle in 2017] ------------------------------------------------------

The sweetness makes it go down easy, the heat comes on back. Kind of like a “shandy” of scotch’s; a little different.

Very fragrant with honey and plums, mineral water, and dry white wine characteristics. A touch of smoke, mild pepper, tart apple frutiness, and salted pretzel palate, and the heat from the proof comes on stronger than you'd expect from the nose. Long finish, stewed vegetables and gentle wisps of smoke and pepper linger. This is not an easily classified whisky. The closest might be Johnnie Walker Green, it pulls in a lot of directions but is still quite balanced. Very intriguing, one I think will need more tastings to appreciate.