Glen Ord is a Diageo-owned brand that sells most of its single malts under the name “Singleton”, an umbrella brand which also distributes single malts from Dufftown and Glendullan. The Glen Ord expression is specifically made for the Asian market, and is quite ubiquitous here in Taiwan. It is sold in an attractive bottle at an attractive price. Here’s my take on it:
Nose: Big, juicy, freshly-cut apples and pears at the fore. Definitely a bit of a grapey/brandy in here. Dark chocolate. A thin oak note is in here, as is a bit of brine and ginger. Sherry, caramel, cinnamon, honey, citrus, coffee and a bit of sawdust. A tiny splash of water opens this up. This nose gets more interesting and complex with time.
Palate: Medium bodied, with big chocolate, juicy raisins, leather, treacle, hazelnut, gooseberries, and cherry pipe tobacco.
Finish: A strong consistency between the palate and the finish. Chocolate, more raisins, treacle, leather, hazelnut, gooseberries, cinnamon, sherry, brandy, and tobacco keep on kicking throughout the medium finish.
This is not a favorite, but it’s quite different. The strong raisin note makes this richer and darker than expected. But it's a bit much for my palate. It opens up quite beautifully, and becomes richer and more complex the longer you wait. I was initially worried that this would fall under the categories of ‘simple’ and ‘boring.’ It’s neither. It’s very drinkable with good depth and a unique profile. For the price, it’s worth trying at least once.
Thanks for the info regarding Singleton & Glen Ord connection. It's a tad confusing for me since I always thought of the brand Singleton as a relatively low-level whisky offering like ballantine's.