Glen Elgin Duncan Taylor Dimensions 12 Year Old

My last review looked at the standard distillery bottling of Glen Elgin 12 Year Old (I scored it an 88). This Glen Elgin is also 12 years old, but is bottled by Duncan Taylor for their Dimensions collection. I don't have the label in front of me (I'm tasting from a sample) but as it's bottled at 46% ABV it is not cask-strength (though it is non-coloured and non-chill-filtered).

The colour is medium-to-dark gold, with bright yellow highlights. On the nose we have lots of bright, shimmering malt, with honey and vanilla right at the front. Very floral, also citrusy (blood orange). Wet rubber boots and bandages. Very juicy. Water brings out more malty notes.

In the mouth, honey is tamed in favour of the vanilla. Dry grasses, apricots and some deep citrus notes. Silky mouthfeel. Water sweetens things up in a very gentle way.

The finish is long, sweet, grassy, and warming with a lemon pith tang. This is a brighter, light-on-its-feet cousin to the distillery bottling. That bottling is heavier and meatier somehow. It is darker in colour than the Duncan Taylor (obviously caramel has been added), but there is a dulling of the brighter apricot and citrus notes that are present in the second bottle. The Duncan Taylor bottling is missing those darker fruits that are present in the distillery bottling...but both are dangerously drinkable! Either one is worth your while, absolutely. You won't dislike either of them. But I tip my hat to the Duncan Taylor, as it displays a complexity that the distillery bottling doesn't quite match. But, as with a basketball game that scores 88-90, it's really both teams that win.

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