Glen Grant 14 Year (SMWS 9.252 "Breakfast in the Orchard")

 

When I think of Glen Grant, I immediately think "Italian" (owned by Campari) and then "sweet." Almost always a dessert dram, for me. So this Spring 2023 bottling, from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") caught my eye, I won the lottery for the bottle, and picked it up.

Here are the official tasting notes:

Seems quintessentially Glen Grant to me. On the beloved whisky resource Whiskyfun, Glen Grant's signature is listed, after sherry fruit, as "Tea, chocolate, coffee, oranges," which is strikingly accurate. This is bottled at 57.7% ABV, let's go ahead and see:

Nose: Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! Malt balls, fudge, cocoa dust (Ovaltine) and milk chocolate. Lots of malted barley. Black tea, pipe tobacco, and tons of espresso grounds. Manuka honey is right on the money - the more savory variety of honey. Herbs galore - like sniffing in a giant herb garden. Plum brandy is also pretty accurate. The official notes are quite close to what I'm scenting here... but, ganja leaf? Is that an "herb"?

I shared this bottle at a family get together - it was extremely popular - and much deeper in the bottle I was delighted to discover a whole host of bright orchard fruit - yellow apples, pear cider - and also tropical fruit, to accompany all the chocolate and tea and malt. 

Mouthfeel: Strictly medium. 

Palate: Interesting - reminds me of an old wine-finished Authroisk I once had: funky rum, plum stones, cherry tobacco, big chocolate, tea, orange rind, vanilla, and more herbs. Coffee grounds. I get hints of the ginger and oak. Some honey going into the finish. 

Similarly to the nose, the palate gets fruitier the deeper into the bottle I got. Big fleshy apple notes, along with bright tropical things - like dried pineapple slices. Also some nice floral notes appear towards the end of the development. 

Finish: Oak/char, honey, herbs, and a huge black coffee note that lasts a surprisingly long time. 

Verdict: Another great SMWS Glen Grant - they have so many of these (this is the 252nd cask of Glen Grant they've bottled!), and I have yet to have a bad one... or even a mediocre one. Very similar to SMWS treatment of Glen Moray, actually. 

This has tons of chocolate/malt/coffee notes in the middle, with lovely herbs and stone fruit and tobacco in a halo around it. And the odd oak, tea, vanilla notes thrown in for extra measure. Later in the bottle, a cornucopia of fruit arrives. 

Quite a good dram... reminds me of last year's Burns Night dram from SMWS ("Harvest Hayride Happiness" I think?)... this is worth exploring if you find it.