Well well well, I’m slowly making my way to the finish line for round 6’s samples of the Scotch Distillery Team. This spectacular, Speysider is from Glenlossie Distillery and was provided by my buddy @Telex. Glenlossie was founded by John Duff way back in 1876. They share warehouse space with nearby Mannochmore Distillery and are owned by Diageo. They produce 1.1 million liters per year that’s used in more than a few, undisclosed blends (likely a large component of Haig Club, but there’s no official declaration of that). Their only official distillery releases are the Flora & Fauna by Diageo and a “Manager’s Dram”. The distillery is surprisingly secretive and do not offer tours nor allow visitors. But, they make some damn fine whisky... This particular bottling is from independent bottler, Alexander Murray and is a cask strength 19 year old that was distilled in 1997. It’s very light gold in color and forms small droplets and undefined legs in the Glencairn. It’s bottled at 53.3% ABV. The nose is ridiculously strong on the alcohol notes right upon the opening pour, but given some appropriate time some light fruits like pears, peaches and watermelon (WATERMELON!) shine through and just make you want to dive right in. There’s some fresh cut oak hiding in the background and some perfumes, too. The smell alone is intoxicating. The palate is very fruity: orchard fruit, fresh orange wedges with little to no barrel notes. It’s not hot at all for being 53% and it’s crazy mouthwatering and smooth. I wouldn’t say it’s complex because it’s a big ole fruit basket with alcohol warmth rounding out the edges. The finish is quite long- I usually feel like the super fruity Speyside whiskies end up too short and too sweet, but damn this one just keeps going and going. Even the finish is fruity and warming. Some woody dryness creeps in at the very end, but it’s almost a welcome finale. So, I gotta say, this one ticks off all of the great marks for a Speysider. Juicy and fruity as hell, sneaky cask strength power (I say that meaning you can just pound this stuff and end up face down on the carpet with ease), and with a generous, long age statement of 19 years. Win-win-win! I believe Jason paid somewhere near $120 for this and I think that’s a heckuva deal for everything listed above. I think I need to locate a full bottle of this one for myself. It’s good stuff. Easily 4.25 stars, but I’m gonna round up because it’s been the best malt for this round IMO. Cheers, my friends.