Glenugie 1966/1994 G&M

In Peterhead once stood a small distillery providing a unique floral malt for the blend industry. No official bottles made it to market and only a handful of independent bottlers (mostly the usual suspects: G&M, Cadenhead,…) ever got their hands on the remaining casks. The ideal conditions for an expensive collector’s item, although Glenugie might just be a tad too obscure for most collectors.

Expectations are high, Glenugie should provide an excellent tasting experience, but G&M decided only to include it in their Connoisseurs collection, a sign on the wall?

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Description: distilled in 1966 matured for 28 years and bottled in 1994 by independent bottler Gordon&MacPhail at 40% ABV for the Connoisseurs Choice range.

Nose: a melange of dry oak and orange tea with that typical old bottle smell, a spoonful of acacia honey, almond milk and anise seed (with water added: more sherry, orange peel and yoghurt)

Mouth: a mouthful of bitter and dry wood dust, cold coffee with grounds and a drop of orange juice. (with water added: still bitter but less rough in nature)

Finish: short, white pepper edge, chocolate

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Verdict: the nose may be very much alive, but the whisky is dead. Who’s the killer you might ask? I point my finger towards the cask, the palate displays all the symptoms of an oak overdose. Glenugie is the penultimate lost distillery on my list, I expect the last one Ben Wyvis will be a dud, but this a surprising let-down.

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