Glenrothes 11 year 2007 "Ralfy.com" (North Star Spirits)

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Whisky Tasting, 9th July 2020). Distilled: September 2007 Bottled from a single sherry butt in August 2019 Limited release of 618 bottles Nose: Chocolate toffees, honey, butterscotch, Crunchie chocolate bar Palate: Alcohol heavy up-front. Very rich, chocolate, toffee, sweet. Finish: Dark chocolate, quite bitter. Hay, fennel and herbs on the finish. Slightly sour at the very end. Creamy mouthfeel. A few drops of water opens it up. Overall, this is quite a weighty and heavy dram. Came fourth out of the six malts tasted on the night, with 9% of the vote for favourite.

North Star Spirits tasting event, Sydney, February 21, 2020, Whisky #4 Nose: A bold oloroso sherry, leather and orange marmalade mélange with a little dash of ginger and cocoa. There’s a sweaty quality about it (in a good way) and some oily nuttiness. A typical Glenrothes nose marred only by a faint soapy note. It’s also a little spirity to start with but nothing that spoils the performance. With water some lighter cereal aromas show up. Palate: The arrival is bright and an intriguing mix of silken and sparkling textures. Very unexpected. Dark fruits and firm malty notes emerge from this as it develops and changes to a richer palate. There is sweetness but it’s a dark, earthy sweetness showcasing the sort of hefty malt that is almost like treacle and reminiscent of peanut brittle. There is also a flinty note. Finish: Medium. Semi-sweet sherry and dark malt fading into a slightly spicy aftertaste that borders on semi-sour. This whisky was released in collaboration with North Star Spirits to celebrate 10 years of whisky vlogs by Ralfy Mitchell, and a proportion of the profit goes to charity. This isn't a light floral, fruity, sweet or peaty dram. It's all about the aromas and flavours of malt in its many forms and what that creates in combination with a good ex-oloroso cask. It’s an old-school style of whisky (slightly reminiscent of Glenfarclas 15) that is untouched by special finishing and I can see why Ralfy gave the go-ahead for his name to be put on the label. It’s a solid down-to-earth dram. However, as good as it is, it’s not faultless or fantastic – well, not to my palate anyway. It thought it lacked nuance when neat and adding water improved it considerably. On the nose, water brought out more interesting and varied characteristics including a little spicy pepper and some fresh biscuit notes. The palate became softer as the initial flinty note changed to a more earthy/mineral quality and there was a little more dark fruit sweetness. Ralfy is known for liking his dram watered and I can see him praising such treatment in this case. Only 618 bottles world-wide, and the allocations were sparse in some locations. You might still find a bottle but unfortunately I suspect many will end up being permanent denizens of auction sites. What a pity. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)