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Glenturret 12 year old (Maiden release)

Duel of the Sherry Bombs #2

8 588

WReview by @Wierdo

25th Jun 2021

1

Glenturret 12 year old (Maiden release)
  • Nose
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  • Taste
    ~
  • Finish
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  • Balance
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  • Overall
    88

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

This review is from my bottle which is around 2/3 full and been open 3 weeks. I paid £65 online in the UK for the bottle (the Tamdhu 15 retails at around £75 in the UK)

Nose

Again an unmistakable Sherry Bomb nose.

Dried fruits, custard, slightly peppery, some oranges and some red apples. A very slight wet straw note appears on the nose with the addition of water.

Palate

Mouthfeel is quite thin. Arrival is fairly short. With a little heat. Some ginger, leather and spice. Some paraffin and also a little sourness on the development.

With water added the heat on the arrival dissipates but doesn't completely vanish and the arrival stretches out. You get more oranges and also some bitter lemon. Some dried fruits but quite low down in the mix.

Finish is quite long with tanins and a spicy sour oaky note throughout and then the dried fruits that had seemed to have disappeared return at the death.

Everything seems well integrated and harmonious.

Overall

Like the Tamdhu before it you are probably doing the Glenturret a disservice to describe it as a Sherry Bomb. It has a bit more going on that that and is actually reasonably complex. Although of the two I'd say the Glenturret was closer to that description than the Tamdhu.

I prefer the Glenturret over the Tamdhu. It just seems a little better put together. More rounded whilst remaining challenging enough to keep a serious malt drinker interested. The sort of whisky that would go down well with casual and experienced scotch drinkers.

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5 comments

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

@Wierdo I love the Tamdhu 15, but now you’ve got me really wanting to try the Glenturret. Very helpful review. Thanks.

2 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

@Wierdo very interesting review. Thank you.

Thin mouthfeel? You can get that at 46% ABV, which is why this may be sherry-influenced, but I would never describe any whisky as a "sherry bomb" at an alcohol content below 55%.ABV This is just a conversation about verbal aesthetics.

I remember well the days of my childhood when firecrackers were legal and "cherry bombs" were the star of the show. Yes, they were so astonishing loud they did sound like a bomb was going off, all from something the size of a cherry. It was wise to ban them, because they were indeed very dangerous to use. They were powerful, like CASK STRENGTH whisky is.

I love high ABV thick textured sherry and other wine influenced whiskies, but I would never describe a 46% watering-down in their company. Without the thick texture/heavy body, you might as well just be drinking wine. BTW this conversation about the use of the descriptor "sherry bomb" with respect to ABV levels has been going on on Connosr for about 8 years now. .

2 years ago 5Who liked this?

@casualtorture
casualtorture commented

@Victor I have found a rare instance in which I would disagree with Victor. Edradour 10 @ 46% abv I would consider a "sherry bomb." Glenfarclas 15 at 46% is definitely what I would call a sherry bomb (a very delicious one too).

2 years ago 4Who liked this?

W
Wierdo commented

@Victor interesting point. Let's be honest describing a whisky as a 'sherry bomb' is a fairly hackneyed way to categorise a whisky. I cringed a bit using that term in the title but then was struggling for a title for the reviews (I always find the title the hardest part of writing a review). Maybe I should stop trying to come up with something funny or catchy and just use review #54 etc!

I'd never considered that the term Sherry Bomb referred to a sherry matured whisky at high abv. Although now you mention it, that makes sense. I'd always considered that term to refer to a whisky that had such an influence from the Sherry casks other characteristics of the spirit became swamped by the cask. As I point out in the reviews that term would be unfair to use on either whisky.

Maybe it's time we retire the overused 'Sherry Bomb' term and it's cousin 'Peat Monster'

2 years ago 4Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@casualtorture, @Victor, @Wierdo, for me a "Sherry Bomb" is a whisky dripping with clean and delicious sherry...from a WET BARREL. Considering the different styles of Sherry, the use of the term "sherry bomb" is loose, at best. I am instantly reminded of Macallan Cask Strength, Kavalan Solist Sherry, and long-aged Glendronachs; these are cask strength and water-added releases, but it is the sherry (oloroso) making itself known to me which brings to mind "sherry bomb". I recently sampled a 10 YO Ledaig, finished in a hundred-year-old Sherry "Bota Punta No". This was the mother of all sherry bombs! It absolutely blew my mind!! Yes, it was peaty. Yes, it was smokey. The sherry was incredible. It was the star of the show....I wanted a glass of the sherry!!

2 years ago 5Who liked this?