My history with Glen Garioch is a weird one: I had never had anything by them, and, in a fit of pique, I bought three 18-year old single cask offerings from three sister casks all distilled on the same day from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
The funny thing is that one bottle was amazing, and the other two were decidedly lackluster and only got worse with oxidation (for me). Just shows how finicky casking can be! All three, however, had a very unique signature - a dirtiness, almost like an old basement - musty, damp, with metallic notes of old tools. All three of those bottles were really unbalanced and quirky, despite 18 years in ex-bourbon wood... so I really wasn't sure what to make of Glen Garioch.
Fast forward to 2026, when I came across this single cask bottling from Berry Bros and Rudd, in their DC flagship storefront. I bought it mostly to complete my education into Glen Garioch, and see once and for all (?) if I liked this distillery or not.
Here are the official notes:
The rugged, heather-swept hills of the Highlands meet the vineyards of Pauillac. The french oak cask lends notes of blackcurrant, cedar and a hint of graphite to the whisky’s inherently malty backbone. The palate unfolds with dried fruits, spicy oak and the dark chocolate richness of a well-aged Bordeaux. The finish is enduring, marked by fruity and earthy undertones?
I'm not sure what they mean with that final question mark, but it's straight from their website. 12 years old, bottled at 57.4%, let's see if I like Glen Garioch or not:
Nose: A shy and muted note: softly coastal (light salt, light minerality), some chocolate, some hints of cooked tropical fruit, some cereal sweetness.
After it opens up a bit, some faint citrus comes forth - orange and grapefruit. There is also a lovely halo of cinnamon here too, now, plus some very rich fudge.
Out of curiosity, and a sort of educated guess, I let it sit for over an hour and then tried again. Voila! This is one of THOSE bottles, that takes eons to unwind due to whatever mysterious chemistry reasons cause these things.
An hour later: LOTS of citrus, like orange and lemon and grapefruit candies, with a solid backdrop of malted chocolate milkshake. And a distinct dry streak, which might be wine tannins at work (?).
Mouthfeel: On the lighter side, but a bit oily.
Palate: The palate is not what I expected. A ton of malted barley, oak spice (more cinnamon!), dark chocolate, chocolate digestive biscuits, fresh-sawn wood, hints of minerality, and more hints of tropical fruit. The official notes say cedar, but I think more sandalwood.
Deeper into the glass I get fresh citrus - a nice burst of orange - more chocolate, and some nice honey. A little bit of "tropical fruit jam" which is nice but too subtle by half.
An hour later: the palate, intriguingly, thins out and dries out both. I guess a LOT more red wine influence here: chocolate, red wine tannins galore, lemon and orange, dried tropical jerky, dry chocolate biscuits. The red wine really shines through when you let this sit a long time.
Finish: Malt, cereal/oats, a big burst of raw chocolate that hangs about a while, some new wood.
Verdict: Well, this certainly does remind me of the three sister bottles I had from SMWS ... only better. This is a superior cask, for sure - at only 12 years it's far more integrated and balanced than those 18 year bottles from SMWS were.
I really like the cinnamon note, and the bright citrus candies, along with the chocolate... but I think the bottom line is that Glen Garioch isn't for me. The flavors are all very nice, but just not quite for me. I can't say I've ever been tempted to eat lemon candies, fudge bars, and cinnamon hot cocoa in a room of fresh lumber (have you??)... it's like everything they bring to the table here is fascinating and worthwhile, but I don't want to spend a lot of time with this bottle. Maybe it's me... but this one is a pass.
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