Glen Garioch 15 Year Old 1998 Wine Cask Matured

In the 1990s Morrison-Bowmore made ample use of red wine casks from Saint Julien in the Bordeaux region. Both Bowmore and – in many more cases – Auchentoshan have released some beautiful wine cask finishes on the market. It comes as no surprise that Glen Garioch would follow with 5.400 bottles of their stuff, fully matured on those casks. I wonder if the Glen Garioch spirit handles it as well.

The nose is creamy and sweet. Very sweet in fact. Apples and all kinds of red fruits: strawberry, raspberry, cherries, but also some rum-raisins. Loads of toffee. Acacia honey. Some ginger and a pinch of cinnamon. Reminds me somewhat of cognac. I like it.

It starts somewhat sour on the palate, but recuperates quickly. Very spicy on cloves, cinnamon, white pepper and ginger. Some liquorice as well. The fruit – which consists mostly of raspberries, but some plums and oranges quickly kick in – does struggle to get past the wine. But then it finds its second wind and turns wonderfully sweet. Hints of milk chocolate.

The finish is long and spicy but it remains sweet until the death.

A bit of a difficult balancing act, I think, but in the end it all turns out nice. Around 120 EUR, which I do not find cheap.

Find where to buy Glen Garioch whisky