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Glenglassaugh Port Wood Finish

Drinker's Discretion Is Advised

6 1066

@cricklewoodReview by @cricklewood

27th Jan 2019

1

Glenglassaugh Port Wood Finish
  • Nose
    18
  • Taste
    17
  • Finish
    17
  • Balance
    14
  • Overall
    66

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Glenglassaugh is a Highland distillery with a spotty history of closures. The last time was in 1986 back when it was owned by Eddington group who was using it as blend fodder.

It was re-opened by a private group in 2008 and then acquired by Benriach under Billy walker's tenure in 2011.

So basically what this means is you'll either find really old 30+ yrs old limited, deluxe releases or NAS releases that are bound to be < 10yrs of age.

Now that it's owned by Brown Foreman, I am unsure they know how to market it exactly as it doesn't have the cachet of Glendronach let's say but in turn it does have the advantage of being malleable as no one yet knows what to expect from them, plus it is said to churn out about 1,000,000L /yr, so they're bound to do something with it.

OK so this one is NAS and finished in Port Casks.

Nose: Funky, improbable, olives brined in strawberry juice. Then an intense wave of dunnage warehouse & damp basement funk. Lanolin, weird herbs, a bit of ointment, then plums and blackberries.

I like dunnage notes but the weird medicinal fruits clawing their way to top are not very pleasant.

Palate: Berry cough syrup, sweet malty porridge, a good dose of sulfured cask funk, it almost feels like a sherrried malt in the middle of the development. It goes on into dried fruits, astringent mouthfeel, celery leaves,marzipan covered in milk chocolate. A slight melted plastic note also.

Finish: Dry, mouth puckering, overripe Camembert & lingering dried fruit note

Blab: Wow they released this? It's all over the place unbalanced AF, I thought perhaps I was being harsh but there was a dude there at the tasting who refused a pour saying "Le pink color one, I've had it already, non merci"

It feels like a young malt full of asperities, that would become character if left alone to do their thing for 12+yrs dumped into very wet port casks, which it probably is.

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10 comments

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

Thanks for taking one for the team...

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

Will avoid. Duly noted. Many thanks.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

W
Wierdo commented

I keep considering getting a bottle of Glenglassaugh as I've not tried anything from this distillery. But am always put off. This is the second bad review of one of their whiskies I've read this week (the other was for one on their 'octaves' releases which is £50-60 a bottle in the UK, so not cheap). Think I'll wait about 5 years until they release a 10-12 year old then consider them again.

5 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

I have some of their newmake. I'm looking for an excuse and occasion to open it up.

5 years ago 0

@cricklewood
cricklewood commented

@Nozinan I secretly love trying these really bad whiskys during a tasting it really helps you realign your palate and puts things into perspective.

Is the newmake peated? I think it should be fun, I personally don't think the make should be bad, I just think this whisky was the result of balance sheets, they needed to get some of this shit released and sold I suppose.

@Wierdo I've had the Torfa and it wasn't too bad, but peat can sometimes be more forgiving at a younger age. That said I had the recent Benriach Peated Octave/quarter cask and while it wasn't terrible it was definitely not inspiring. I agree best to stay away for a while.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

@cricklewood getting the full perspective and contrast about quality is the reason why I make a point of trying almost every product offered to me, including those I don't expect to like. We can never be too sharp in our perception, and we can never be too complete in our experience. The goal is to always be continually up-ing our game with respect to perception, quality, depth and breadth of experience. If all you've tasted have been 3, 5, 10, or 20 products, and they are all of the same genre, what can you say about your knowledge of whisk(e)y? You can say this with certainty: you don't know much about whisk(e)y.

In knowledge of whisky, as with all other areas of life, the more you actually know, the less you tend to be dogmatic and inflexible in your opinions.

5 years ago 7Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@cricklewood The peated newmake was available in Ontario. This is a 200 cc bottle of unpeated newmake and another of the 1 year matured spirit I got online years ago when I had a friend going overseas a lot.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@MadSingleMalt
MadSingleMalt commented

"it is said to churn out about 1,000,000L /yr, so they're bound to do something with it"

Damn, that is some faint praise!

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood commented

@MadSingleMalt what I meant is that it is clear in the transaction where Brown-Forman bought Benriach, Glendronach & Glenglassaugh that the bulk of the money was for the first two distilleries which by then had built up quite a reputation.

Yet here they are with his relatively unproven distillery that has been producing at a good clip. I don't think anyone with tasted buds would have released this whisky if they didn't have their eye on the balance sheet only.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@Robert99
Robert99 commented

@cricklewood Another pearl «olives brined in strawberry juice ». Let’s just say that I will not run to the store for it.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

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