Glen Grant 29 1982 Blackadder

Thanks to /u/tvraisedme for this dram, it’s a couple of firsts for me, all in one!

No, not the first time I traded with him, or first Scotch, or first 29 year old whisky. Or the oldest whisky, or a whisky with no chill filtering, or a whisky that was once in a person’s ass (not that this one was).

No, it’s the first whisky I’ve had from my birth year! And if you don’t give a shit, well fuck you, because that’s big for me. And I’m trying it (and another) around my birthday to continue milking it for all it’s worth. Why? Because it’s my Champagne birthday.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, why else it’s special.

It’s also special because I’ve never done a Blackadder whisky before. I’ve heard of them, sure, but never had the chance to try one. So I’m excited for that as well.

Glen Grant 29 1982 Blackadder is it. My two firsts of first. Or seconds. Well it’s only 1 oz, so just firsts.

You can read the rest of the information on it, but Glen Grant’s an interesting one. It’s the biggest single malt whisky selling in Italy. Fucking Italy man, they drink whisky? I’m surprise. They have tasty Sambuca, Wine, Fizzy wine I can never remember the name of (Prosecco, sweet just remembered) and limoncello.

Anyway, they sell a lot there, contrary to the competition.

Campari owns them now, and they’re still selling well (even outside of Italy), so let’s see how this one tastes, shall we?

Price: N/A in Ontario

Cask Type: Refill Sherry Butt

Cask No: 4117

Distilled: 6th May 1982

Bottled: February 2012

Number of Bottles: 276

Region: Speyside

Abv: 52.1%

Colour: 5Y 6/6

Nose: Pear, grapefruit, orange, banana, white cake, honey, floral, cereal, mint, butter tart

Fruity is a word. Very much amount of fruit is a broken sentence I’ven’t said before, right up with that double contraction.

So lots of fruit. Floral, sweet, mint, and then this complex part slowly flows out. Everything else is merely numerous, though still tasty.

Taste: Cinnamon, cereal, mint, Demerara sugar, ginger, syrup, lemon, butter, brine

Again, sweet, yet with some buttery parts. Not as complex as the nose, it’s starting to pair back a little bit. Or pare back. I can’t remember which. There were pears. Or Pares.

Lots of them.

Finish: Lime, cilantro, pepper, peach, dry oak, papaya, coffee cake, dill

It’s spicier than I expected an old whisky to be. I have a theory that Glen Grant is made to be older, because I see so many older versions of them.

Granted that’s based on no practical knowledge or stats, so I’d chalk that one up to a “guess”.

Quite dry at the end. And the dill isn’t doing it favours. Sticks out like a nail hammered by a 5 year old. Dammit Billy, one more like that and you’re out on your ass!

Conclusion: So I won’t let rose coloured glasses bar me on this one; it’s a tasty dram, I enjoyed it, and I think they made something interesting.

It’s not crazy complex, just numerously so. Kinda crazily so, and some of those flavours are pretty simple. Where Black Arts are collections of flavours that are all crazy, this is a collection of simple flavours that all happen to be here.

Nice dram, glad I had it, probably wouldn’t buy a bottle unless it was on sale. Or if it had been my birthday when it was distilled.

83/100

Scotch review #394, Speyside review #117, Whisky Network review #603