Glen Grant 21 Year Old 1997 The Ultimate

In the run up to the 1000th (!) casks bottled by this Dutch bottler, van Wees seeks out special casks to release in nice wooden chests. This is their 900th cask: a Glen Grant from 1997 at cask strength.

On the one hand the nose is candy-like on oranges and other citrus fruit with a truckload of honey and some vanilla, but on the other shows some nice earthy notes with soft spices that give it depth and make this nose an absolute pleasure. Wine-gums and gummi bears are alternated with wood shavings and grilled pineapple.

On the palate it all starts very sweet (honey, vanilla, wine-gums), but soon a lovely bitterness emerges. Both grapefruit and grape pith and some tannins. The spices give it a warm character. Think liquorice, quinine and cardamom. While the nose promised a soft Speysider, it offers a sturdy fellow on the palate. Midpalate some yellow and white fruit emerge to make it absolutely clear that this is a little fruit bomb.

The finish is tremendously long, spicy warm and fruity sweet.

Now this is a single cask with which you can impress. Which van Wees did. Recommended. Thanks, Benny.

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