Glenglassaugh 29 1976 A.D. Rattray Cask Collection (xile

xile_ (his real name, really) had us all over for a mystery lineup. I brought brownies. That’s really not useful to the review. Well, I didn’t have them until the whiskies were done, and drank tons of water between each dram. Maybe that’s useful. Oh, and all of the whiskies were poured blind. xile_ bet I’d get two right. I showed him and got none right. That’ll show him.

Up first we have a distillery that I cover very rarely. We’re hoping, as many have been, that Glenglassaugh shows up more and more. The distillery was revived recently, then bought out, and then the company who had bought it out was, in turn, bought out.

Yay capitalism? Nonetheless, while we hope, there’s always single casks in the wild, and thus we started with Glenglassaugh 29 1976 A.D. Rattray Cask Collection.

This ex-bourbon cask is quite old. If I understand the distillery, this was made during the time that it was mostly for blends, before it closed down and Edrington stated it wouldn’t come back. The guess is that this was purchased from Edrington and released before Scaent took over and started collecting them to release the whiskies under the OB brand.

But what does the whisky taste like? Let’s see, shall we?

Price: N/A

Region: Speyside

Cask Type: Bourbon

Cask Number: 2368

Number of Bottles: 290

Date Distilled: 17.12.1976

Date Bottled: 10.08.2006

Abv: 53.0%

Colour: 2.5GY 9/6

Nose: Cumin, peach, cereal, brown sugar, cake

Light. Very light. I’m guessing that’s why xile put this one first. Earthy/spice at first, followed by some stone fruit and some cereal.

If I’m being Frank (and I usually reserve that for Fridays at the drag show), I’d say that this is quite shy. There’re some brown sugar and cake once water is added, but it takes quite a while.

Taste: Butter/caramel, nectarine, oak, corn syrup

Thick mouthfeel. That’s the brilliant part. Not only is is caramel heavy, but it’s thick like caramel.

Beyond that, water makes it taste too fake. This is a very old ex-bourbon cask that’s been squeezed dry.

Finish: Nectarine, cumin, ginger, rubber, caramel, honey

Some fruit, some earth, and honestly more in the finish than any other part. At least the rubber is there to give me something. Anything.

Easy sipping finish that gives just a bit more complexity, but not quick enough.

Conclusion: Frankly I assumed this was a mid-aged, maybe attempt at some Speyside I’d never think about that usually uses ex-sherry casks and someone bought an ex-bourbon cask thinking it’s wacky enough.

Turns out I was kind of right, but seriously, at 29 years I expect more than a really good mouthfeel and some generic notes, with a bit of rubber on the finish. I’m not hating the dram, I’m just saying that for the age, the strength, and really everything else, SOMETHING should have happened here. And it didn’t.

So yeah, it’s an ex-bourbon cask and you won’t hate it, you’ll just wish you bought something else given the price. And that the cask had been given a Viking funeral back in 1976.

76/100

Guess: Ex-bourbon cask, Speyside, 17 years, 48%

Actually: Glenglassaugh 29 1976 A.D. Rattray Cask Collection

Scotch review #970, Speyside review #265, Whisky Network review #1527