🥃 Whisky Auctioneer

Three Glenrothes vintages today: a 1998 WB, a 1988 24yo WB and a G&M 1978 WB. N: Glenrothes no. 2 and a mature one. Smells light and reserved yet elegant. Plenty of countryside notes here, from wild herbs and ozone to stables with a grassy, dessert quality to it, mainly from some long stewed, natural-rich, pectin sugared fruits - oak steeped for 24 years. So to recap, a fresh yet dense & mature fluffy, sherried, malty-grain that harks: “So I’m offering you this simple phrase” - a lovely, straightforward, moorish profile, probably a second fill, less chatty but diligent cask. A little bergamot tops it off nicely. Has an ‘old skool’ [’70’s] style to it. T: Fabulous, squidgy, oily stuff, quite dry - from the wood of course, but theres a true malt chew. The malt and oak have melded and collapsed into each others embrace. Some concentrated [raspberry] ice-cream sauce? on the arrival turning to chocolate. Not a great deal of travel or shape but its an embracing and tasty one - salty, oaky and malty as you’d want, sweetish in the main. Water isn’t required but brings out fresher notes and dry milk chocolate into the finish F: Gotta love that malt=oak balance. Oaky, sherried malt it is. A little charcoal. Mildly sweet throughout but the wood makes it a little congested by the end. C: Yammers!! Does what it says on the tin. Very tasty aged Glenrothes thats on the ‘Whiskybase marketplace’ for a most respectable £78 [Feb ’16]. Its occurring to me that Glenrothes malts are rather natural and candid drams, and the sherry doesn’t mask or bury the grain. Compared with the 1998 vintage WB, its not better, its not worse. Maybe Glenrothes is like Glenmorangie - older expressions are different but not necessarily better [than the standard 10yo] - discuss. Scores a B- [85]

I find this superb, the only flaw is that I´m a bit late. 89/100

A very good older Glenrothes, still distinct sweeter GR distillate, nicely balanced not killed by the sherry cask. A very fun malt, indeed.

Nose: fruity (especially orange) and spicy Taste: warm fruits, oak, sweet, oily, complex and spicy Finish: medium