So we all had reasons to not split this bottle, my friends and I.
For one or two of us anything that starts with “Glen Elgin” usually ends in “Anger Tears”.
For myself I wasn’t too enthused at adding a non-CS whisky to my library, as I like to pick my strength, thank you very much.
My one friend was facing the wrong way when we discussed it and didn’t really follow along.
However all of us went in for it. Why? Because Glen Elgin 20 1991 “Winter Larder” Wemyss Malts is Dummy Dark, and we’re all down with the dank colour sherry whiskies.
Yeah, it’s a meme basically. No, I’m not comparing it to a person. Whisky is a consumable thing without a mind, and people have thoughts and feelings and are complex. They are two different things.
But damn son, look at that colour. This thing must have been poured into a full cask of sherry.
So yeah, it was a dumb purchase decision. But at 20 years, aged in a Oloroso Sherry Butt, and released almost a decade ago, was it truly dumb or just kinda dumb?
Let’s see, shall we?
Price: € 117
Region: Speyside
Vintage: 1991
Bottled: 08.2011
Cask type: Oloroso Sherry Butt
No. of bottles: 654
Abv: 46%
Colour: 7.5YR 2/4
Nose: Raspberry, mint, brown sugar, candy corn
Wow, red fruit, I would have never guess. So shocked. Much surprise. /s
Yeah, it’s heavily sherried. That said, some of that herbal spice comes through, and even some of the caramel that I have found on other Glen Elgins is popping up. It’s a tad sweeter, but this is still a whisky, and not, as presumed, a tough-as-nails sherry.
Taste: Mint, strawberry, molasses, farmy, anise
Huh, even more of that Glen Elgin mint. And then the sherry takes over. Well not completely. I can’t really say if the spice is the sherry or the base spirit. And the farminess isn’t coming from either, so perhaps that was some stale leftover sherry in the wet cask.
Either way, good complimentary notes going on here.
Finish: Mint, hay, grassy/anise, peppery, peach, brown sugar
If the finish was a part of the land, it’d be a grassy field. What with all the grassy notes. I’m good at this writing thingie.
Sweet, peppery, some heat that’s more on that spice side than hot side, little pops of mint. It’s a fun dram.
Conclusion: Anise heavy with pops of mint. Did a lot better than I ever thought it would.
I was frankly expecting nothing but sherry notes. I mean… look at that damn colour! But the base malt took to it very well. Lots of spice here, but shows off different complimentary flavours as well.
I don’t know if my tastes and those of the whisky world at large align on Glen Elgin: There’s been some I enjoyed and others didn’t, and vice versa. So you may not be in love with this grassy downhome farm ride like I am. That said, I’m quite happy to have a split of this, and will be breaking it out as the weather turns.
What little it does as we boil alive on the planet.
83/100
Scotch review #1334, Speyside review #365, Whisky Network review #1999
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