Here is something of a mystery. A "Glenshiel" (which doesn't exist) from independent bottler Alexander Murray, aged 15 years. Whiskybase and Flaviar both indicate that Glenshiel in this case is a code word for Loch Lomond, a favorite distillery of mine in the last year or two.
Alexander Murray is another independent bottler whose website waxes poetic about their incredible ability to pick exceptional casks. This particular bottle is aged 15 years in a bourbon hogshead and bottled at cask strength - 57.2% ABV. Very nice - let's see just how wild this "Glenshiel" proves to be...
Nose: Dignified apples. A curious other note is floating in here - almost like baby powder (fragrant chalk?). Vanilla custard. Together, they make a certain "underbaked apple pie" note. The nose is slightly prickly with alcohol, but only a little. Some honey, some sweet lemon cake. Something spicy - my source Rob Martin got a lot of ginger, but I'm not tasting it as much
Mouthfeel: Medium, and silky/oily.
Palate: OK, here's the ginger. Tons of ginger on the palate. Some citrus. Some apple/cider. Some cereal or grain. A lot of drying wood tannins. It really thins out here, despite the alcohol heat. Some pricking spices. The high alcohol content here really fleshes it out - at a low ABV this would have been thin indeed.
Finish: Long finish, but almost all wood tannins without any other accompanying flavors.
Verdict: This wasn't bad for $60. It tastes weirdly young for 15 years old, and the profile is rather thin as well, but it's certainly solid, and at 57.2% it will scratch a certain itch, to be sure. An interesting find! I didn't love it, but didn't hate it. Initial reports said this might be Glenrothes, and I could see that too - Glenrothes has that "dry, spicy" profile that this shares. Either way, I think this ended up limited by a worn out hogshead.
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