Another new one to me - Glen Grant, a Speyside distillery that has the distinction of being the biggest selling Scotch whisky in Italy! It's owned by Campari. This is their 15 year, bottled at a luscious, beautiful 50% ABV, spending all its time in ex-bourbon casks. 50%! I am so delighted. Let's get right into it...
Nose: Nice, rich nose! Vanilla extract is present, along with lightly roasted coffee beans. Sweet milk chocolate and toasted coconut. Some malted barley and plenty of honey. Fresh cookies paired with a very very faint and strange astringent aroma almost like gasoline (!). Mint leaves. With any water, and with time in the glass, that astringent note vanishes, and the fruit moves forward a little, cutting through the sugar and sweetness a bit.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, a little silky.
Palate: VERY bold flavor development here. Tons of vanilla - vanilla ice cream cake, perhaps. More honey. Lots of spiced pears. Mint leaves. Other fruit I can't quite put my name on. Cafe latte. Malted barley, from the nose. A tiny amount of smoke. The 50% really helps here, making everything big and bright and punchy. Very satisfying.
Finish: Close-grained oak, smoke, pear flesh. Satisfying, though not revelatory.
Verdict: Wow! The Italians have good taste. This is quite a bold whisky, full of fruit and honey and other nice balancing flavors. The 50% - I can't emphasize this enough - makes this stand out among its competitors. Really a smart move by Campari. I like this, and would compare it easily against something like Glen Scotia 15. Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment