Glenglassaugh Revival

Not bad, but Unimpressive. Drinkable, decent flavor but drink it with something, perhaps a dessert. No outstanding notes to stand on its own.

Have seen this one many times but at $50s I passed over for more well known/regarded single malts. It was on sale at TW for $35 so figured Id give it a shot. Let me tell you its well worth $50s this is delicious scotch. Non chill and natural color shows the way to the quality of this distillery. Poured neat with a drop really opens it up, nose is peach marmalade, dried apricot, thick malt and toasted oak with sea salt. Palate is creamy rich malt, blended yellow fruits and a stick of salted butter melted in for good measure. Light barrel oak and char on the outskirts. Finish is lingering malt and salt, fading fruits and gently drying woods. This strikes a wonderful balance between sweet and savory with excellent texture and strong malty presence(which I like). Deep flavors despite NAS. I got a steal but recommend at normal pricing without hesitation.......87/100.....This one surprised me and score could go up as I go through bottle

I love Glenglassaugh Torfa so was excited to try Revival. Revival was, by comparison, lame. The nose is all toffee. I still can't figure out what it tastes like. I saw other reviews describe the taste as grape or date. Sure, why not. I would have preferred it to taste like toffee or at least something discernable. On the bright side, there was basically no burn so it was pleasant enough.

Rating: 11/23 I really don't know much about this. I just grabbed a sample to try another entry in the Glenglassaugh line. N: Light. Some faint toasty nuttiness that is kind of rich. Not a lot of alcohol coming off here, but I do get a a hint of a meaty funk. Some slightly burned dried grass starts coming out too, then something clearly grainy that's also a bit tart and rich. Sourdough bread? There may be a hint of buckwheat in there too. P: This is young with a substantial amount of alcohol. There's a decent amount of burn here as well, though it isn't overwhelming. Despite the ABV, the palate is a bit thin too. I get some light nutty and fruity (light, slightly floral cherry with faint tangerine) notes suggesting that something in here had a sherry finish. I also get some nutty maltiness mixed with grass and some smoke. A little cinnamon comes out at times and I get a touch of vanilla too, mixed with a dash of white chocolate. The sweet maltiness and sherry briefly turn into sort of an artificial caramel flavor, kind of like some barleywines have. I suspect some PX finishing was happening here for at least some of the juice in this bottle. There's a hint of sulfur, but not nearly as much as in something like Highland Park 12. I also get a bit of something at times that's maybe sort of like a mellow malted rye flavor with some character from an old fashioned doughnut (made with buttermilk and a hint of nutmeg). There's isn't much complexity here and there's a bit of a burn for sure, but the balance - aside from the clear youthfulness - is actually pretty good. They did a good job using a clean distillate for this one. I do get this pure alcohol flavor out of it though that reminds me a bit of vodka. F: Clean water with smoky grass, and echoes of the fruit and light nut from the sherry. - Conclusion - Glenglassaugh did a fine job of putting out what is clearly a young whisky here. It's light and not super interesting, but it's pretty sippable. I wouldn't mind having it too much if I didn't want to contemplate anything. On more of a technical level, Glenglassaugh Evolution and Glenglassaugh Pedro Ximenez Sherry Wood Finish are better. This is not as far behind as I'd expected though. There's definitely more alcohol going on here, but it has a good quintessential Scotch profile. It actually reminds me a bit of Macallan and is competitive with Glenmorangie The Original. I don't like this as much as the Evolution or PX Finish, but I like it a lot better than I'd expected. This is in the an 11 or 12. There's a really nice, traditional core flavor here, but the spirit is too light and immature. I'm torn, but I think I'll go with an 11.

Maize corn colour. N20, P20, F20, B20. It's that balanced). Sweet aromas of ripe fruits. Soft, oily and sweetish syrupy taste. Apricots, figs, honey, dates. Decent stuff but on a sweeter side.

Sweet plum, berries, caramel from start to finish. Medium finish and strength is perfect for a 46% ABV. Rounded and viscous upon entry that lasts and remains after the initial burst that follows entry. Earthy, sherried nose with cherry aromas that match the taste. A pure, unadulterated scotch. This is a magnificent whisky and astonishingly enhanced at the price point. Using this rating system, anything less than four stars is delusional and misappropriation. These do not know their whiskeys. This is easily a 90/100 on traditional scales, and worth the 96 at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. High expectations before trying due to virtual and actual recommendations, and this did not disappoint. Out of this price range, I would not want to buy it simply because I would be frustrated that such an opportunity became less of one. Not a hint of brine or bitterness, or anything synthetic or medicinal. This is borderline angel’s share. Satin sherry, silky wine comes through. I have an affinity for a port or any wine finish or maturation for my hooch. This is a pleasant dram trifecta—sherry, red wine and bourbon matured—for me. However, one letter “e” keeps this from being my dream dram. The “e” is for ethereal. Of everything this spirit is, what it is not is dreamy. A dream spirit must simply be just that. This spirit does entice and create desire with its touch of toffee. A tour de force of a Highland.