The Glenrothes Whisky Maker's Cut

Almost cognac like. Sherry forward, crisp/quick finish, not much lingering.

Its been opened now for 8 months and well below kneckpour and its not doing much for me now. Possibly my palate is changing plus the oxidation of the bottle didn't help/

Nose: Oloroso sherry from the very first sniff. This is an unapologetically sherry-forward nose and it's a good one. Orange, tangerine, mandarin, clove, sultanas, walnuts, dead leaves and a little nutmeg. Luscious and above all, clean. Palate: Demi-sec arrival, again featuring oloroso sherry. The development brings creamy vanilla, butterscotch brioche, demerara sugar, dark fruits, mocha coffee, red berries, spices (pepper, ginger), leather and tobacco.The oak background is clean and the texture is full, engaging and velvety. Finish: Medium/long. Fruity, orange zest, gentle spice notes and chocolate linger into a sherry-tinged, oak sunset. A good young sherry-matured whisky. I often have a problem with Glenrothes as the distillate can seem rough and hard, but this particular example has balance and is above all clean. Sparkling, pristine whistle-clean. The worst thing you could say about this whisky is that it lacks the complexity of older and more nuanced expressions, but for me it more than makes up for any such shortcomings by virtue of its almost disarmingly clean character and blissful lack of sulphur - what a relief! Not long ago I tasted the Berry Bros. & Rudd Sherry Cask Matured Blended whisky, and that unfortunately was an exemplar of what not to do. It was an old-school, tired, sulphurous sherry beast that summed up a certain style of whisky that is now fortunately almost extinct. This, however, is everything that that expression was not. It's clean, energetic and flavourful, and although obviously young it is not callow or undeveloped. For the money, it is recommended, particularly if you are a fan of sherry-intense finishes. Personally, I'm not usually part of that crew, but in this case I'll make an exception. I tasted this from a bottle I bought a little while ago and I liked it so much I immediately placed an order for another bottle to put into the stash. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Glenrothes makers cut is an exceptional whiskey at the price point. Tastes a bit hot, my guess is that it isn't aged very long. A more balanced whiskey than their Bourbon cask which leans heavily to the realm of sweet bourbon. This one is a real treat.