Whiskybase

Glenrothes 1997 CA

Overall rating
87.29/100
votes
170
Whiskybase ID
WB109528
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Cadenhead (CA)
Bottling serie
Small Batch
Vintage
1997
Bottled
2018
Stated Age
20 years old
Casktype
3x Butts
Number of bottles
1524
Strength
56.2 % Vol.
Size
700 ml
Barcode
2100000143757
Added on
24 mar 2018 9:38 am by mullos
UncoloredNon-chillfilteredCask Strength
Glenrothes 1997 CA
Photo by Whiskybase Shop
Glenrothes 1997 CA
Photo by MacErwin
Glenrothes 1997 CA
Photo by mullos

Average value

€ 135.48

Found 3 online shops. Lowest price:

€ 118.00
fr Dugas Club Expert € 131.00
au The Old Barrelhouse AUD$ 220.00
Create a free Whiskybase account to view 1 additional offers and compare bottle prices of sellers all over the world
Create free account

19 × in wishlist

170 × member ratings

223 × in collection

Whisky Reviews for Glenrothes 1997 CA

27 users have left a review for this whisky and scored it an average of 87.29 points

  1. thijs100 scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    Sherry matured Glenrothes rarely disappoints, an neither does this one. Don't be scared to play around with water, it can take it.
    • Nose
      Roasted peanuts with dark caramel and luscious red fruit, as well as cocoa powder. There's a hint of leather here too, with just a touch of mint.
    • Taste
      The roasted peanut skins make an encore, but there's also mocha, dark coffee and burned caramel, as well as polished leather. Quite aggressive, and fairly spicy. There's some chili and ginger, but also faint notes of cherry syrup.
    • Finish
      Lingering spices, before settling into a sweeter territory. Long.

  2. Hvdree scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      90 90
    • Finish
      89 89

  3. lachaineduwhisky did not rate this whisky Expert Senior

    • Nose
      Discreet Sherry, very Speyside. Golden cereals, burnt wood. But also a concern in the integration of alcohol.
      Sage, rather small.
      With water, caramelized hazelnuts, which brings a hint of gluttony, but without leaving the overall profile of this relative austerity, or without making it completely take off.
    • Taste
      Sherry, very spicy, the whole lack of balance.
      With water, sweeter, rich, fleshy, but also delicate. Very nice range of spices, in the precision, with a little dust.
    • Finish
      Sweet bitter. Spicy persistence on clove.
      With water, voluminous, on spices, fragrant, with herbs, it detonates!
      Sticky texture in length.

      Enthusiasm
      Nose 3/5
      Mouth 2/5 (4/5 with water)
      Final 3/5 (4/5 with water)

      Whisky n ° 2072

  4. wisekyofcourse scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    20-year-old Cadenhead finish in sherry
    • Nose
      caramelized and spicy sweetness
      leather, dust, dried herbs
      a typical sherry side with cooked grapes
      a little chocolate
    • Taste
      cooked fruits and very sweet confits,
      stubborn woody, kind chopped chips,
      the leather is present, polished, shiny
      oozing nuts with melted chocolate on
      back spicy and caramelized, and buttered slightly
    • Finish
      softness of wood, leather,
      cooked fruits (raisin and musty, banana, cooked apple) and its syrup!
      long enough!

  5. eNZzo scored this whisky 90 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      90 90
    • Taste
      90 90
    • Finish
      89 89

  6. Lakerfield scored this whisky 84 points Expert Senior

    A spicy profile, not really my kind of dram however you can't deny its quality. Very Tamdhu-esque with the toffee/butterscotch notes. The thing that kills the all-in-all balance of this whisky is the enormous wood influence. Not the sherry, but the oak indeed. It also has a sourness on the palate that is a little out of place. Ah well. It is not unpleasant at all just not my style!
    • Nose
      The Oloroso for sure made its mark on this one. Spicy, herbal and sour with just enough fruits and sweetness for balance. This almost leans towards an exotic intensity with pear, orange peel, raisin, cranberry, banana, fig and coconut. A wave of milk chocolate, butterscotch, apple pie, Nutella and Snickers bar thereafter. Then there's this spicy and herbal side I told you earlier: vanilla, thyme, ginger, roasted nuts, paprika, pencil shaving and a hint of French mustard. Very strong chocolate on the nose and that's always a plus. Sherried Tamdhu has a similar, creamy profile.
    • Taste
      Feels thick and oily. Fairly rough on the alcohol and a lot of spice and wood as expected. The fruits are less intense with sour apple, blood orange, fig, plum and a hint of coconut milk. After that assorted chocolate, toffee, sultana and cherry bonbon. Almond, ginger, pepper, mint, oak tannin, shoe polish and a tiny gunpowder-like sulphur note round things off. Goes in the same general direction of the nose, dry and chocolatey. Wood spice is taking up a very big fraction of the taste though, I strongly recommend adding water to this dram. It can make a few points difference!
    • Finish
      A lovely long finish, chocolate galore again. Some peanut, grain cereal and smoke too.

  7. STL scored this whisky 86 points Expert Senior

    Slightly brutal sherry, like drinking alcohol ...
    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      86 86
    • Finish
      86 86

  8. Joschbert scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    For less than 100 € good PLV
    • Nose
      89 89
      Nice, modern wood and leather aromas. Very earthy.
    • Taste
      86 86
      Nutty sherry notes, polish, the alcohol is a bit annoying without water. Nice intensity. I lack fruit aromas.
    • Finish
      88 88
      Dark chocolate, now a little stone fruit (plum / apricot), walnut, long

  9. thatfamousgrouse scored this whisky 87 points Expert Junior

    Nose: Floral bordering on soapy, with a thick backdrop of wet forest. Mineral lemon, raspberry, toffee, galette des rois (almond pastry), salted peanuts, and a hint of cardamom.

    Palate: Slightly more fruity, with figs and dates, and sweet lemon. Remains quite floral and earthy with damp cedar, peanuts & toffee. Sharp spice is creeping in.

    Finish: Fades with heavy spice and hints of Raspberry and lemon. Almost smoky.

    Score: B+ (87 if you must); Clearly not what one might expect from 20 years in sherry butts, though with Cadenhead you should expect the occasional curveball. Savory and nutty and not at all shy. Almost tastes like an unpeated Bowmore. Very good but not an all-timer.

  10. Kensay scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    Dessert Winter Whisky
    • Nose
      saturated sherry malt, dessert, pastry shop, smoked plum and raisins, some tobacco
    • Taste
      dessert, spices and raisins in oil
    • Finish
      tobacco, dry wood and some spices

  11. SAND scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    NOSE: Sweet oak wood, dried fruits, mild honey, a touch of heather, hints of aniseed/liquorice, white pepper, a little alcohol. Clearly Sherry cask matured, not very elegant but not overly sherried. (87-88p) With a few drops of water the nose loses the alcohol and generally improves. (89p)
    TASTE: The arrival is quite intense on typical sherry notes; dried fruits, sweet wood. The old/sweet wood part being equally strong as the sherry notes lead me to think this might come from refill sherry casks. (88-89p)
    FINISH: Long. (88p) With a few drops of water the finish becomes woodier. (86p)
    OVERALL: Very nice old sherried malt. Total score 88-89 points.

  12. Dris scored this whisky 86 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      86 86
    • Finish
      86 86

  13. Dre73 scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    Intense whisky, typical sherrycask influences, fruity and chocolate. Adding a few drops of water makes it all more quiet immediately (without getting weak).
    • Nose
      88 88
      Fruity, some clear sherrynotes, prunes, some leather. Floral as well, and chocolate, ripe apples, berries. With some drops of water more nutty and sweet, caramel.
    • Taste
      88 88
      Strong, pickering. Chocolate, honey, some red fruits, berries. Intense, nuts, some caramel.
    • Finish
      87 87
      Still intense, pickering in the throat. Some tobacco influence now, chocolate, a bit fruity still, nuts. Pretty long.

  14. alex..w..fan scored this whisky 81 points Connoisseur

    20 20 21 20 81

  15. diamond2000 scored this whisky 88 points Expert Junior

    Aroma: open, dark raisins, basement forest berries, prunes, autumn dry foliage, bread crumb, fried sunflower seeds and oilcake, unrefined oil, orange liquor, dry wood. Burnt caramel and some exotic fruits are added with water, but in general the aroma is simplified, everything else becomes faded, I did not like it.

    Taste: bright, hot pepper, sweet caramel, zest, orange liquor, dark raisins, dates, slightly salty and all this is sprinkled with grated cinnamon.

    Finish: repeats taste, spicy, sweet, astringent peeling of berries, dark raisins, spicy spices, slightly bitter burnt caramel, wax, a little salt.

    Rating: 88

    Bottom line: dried fruit pepper bomb, sweet, spicy, powerful; the aroma is good, with development, but in the taste I wanted more complexity for this age and barrel fortress, and I didn’t have enough wood in it.

  16. diamond2000 scored this whisky 88 points Expert Junior

    Aroma: open, dark raisins, basement forest berries, prunes, autumn dry foliage, bread crumb, fried sunflower seeds and oilcake, unrefined oil, orange liquor, dry wood. Burnt caramel and some exotic fruits are added with water, but in general the aroma is simplified, everything else becomes faded, I did not like it.

    Taste: bright, hot pepper, sweet caramel, zest, orange liquor, dark raisins, dates, slightly salty and all this is sprinkled with grated cinnamon.

    Finish: repeats taste, spicy, sweet, astringent peeling of berries, dark raisins, spicy spices, slightly bitter burnt caramel, wax, a little salt.

    Rating: 88

    Bottom line: dried fruit pepper bomb, sweet, spicy, powerful; the aroma is good, with development, but in the taste I wanted more complexity for this age and barrel fortress, and I didn’t have enough wood in it.

  17. ctu scored this whisky 87 points Connoisseur

    It's not the typical sherry bomb, a bit dirtier, but I like it.
    • Nose
      87 87
      Antique leather, herbals, sherry, forest fruits, moss, mint and salted caramel.
    • Taste
      88 88
      Oily. Caramel, cocoa, antique leather, spicy oak, milk coffee, and lemon sorbet.
    • Finish
      87 87
      Long, spicy, fruity.

  18. Rien scored this whisky 86 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      86 86
    • Finish
      86 86

  19. KayMeertens scored this whisky 87 points Connoisseur

    Not as wonderfully sherried as the Dun Bheagan bottling (ID 84872), dryer. The basis is pretty comparable though. Sweeter than the Whiskybase bottling (ID 90000), which is more dirty.
    • Nose
      87 87
      Apple, nut oil, caramel, blueberry and vanilla.
    • Taste
      87 87
      Caramel, apple, nut oil, blueberry and pepper. Slightly dirty. Water pushes it towards pastry.
    • Finish
      86 86
      Caramel, apple, almond and straw.

  20. SimpleSample scored this whisky 85 points Expert Senior

    Nice whisky ... better without water
    • Nose
      87 87
      Sweet fruit notes..in the mon Cheri direction ... maybe. also raspberry at the very back come floral notes. You should let him breathe without water.
      with water ... pleasant sweetness
    • Taste
      83 83
      Season with water ... herbs
      Without water ... sherry with neat boost and a pleasant addition of sweet notes despite the high percentage
    • Finish
      85 85
      Medium and mouth-filling

  21. ahroeen scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      89 89
      Clean, spicy, dry sherry, moist tobacco. Cinnamon, macadamia nuts?
    • Taste
      89 89
      Complex, not a monster. Fruity. Prunes, leather, oak. Milk chocolate. Lovely!
    • Finish
      87 87
      Medium, fruits, raisins. A bit disappointing after a really pleasant nose and taste, but still lovely.

  22. DramGoodLife scored this whisky 80 points Expert Senior

    Alcohol driven whisky which shows little depth despite having spent 20+years in sherry butts.
    • Nose
      On first nosing spirity and strong vegetal note, hints of Taiwanese Kaoliang. With time aromas of assorted nuts and old leather chairs come forward. Right at the back there at some light peppermint notes.
      With water it loses the vegetal notes but retains the nutty overtones.
    • Taste
      Quite harsh on the alcohol. With time its a big delivery of black berries and blackcurrant jam. Aggressive and hot.
      Even with water, the palate stays fiery.
    • Finish
      Dry, very dry with plenty of oak and nuts.

  23. Mark-E scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      89 89
    • Finish
      89 89

  24. JacobaEd scored this whisky 87 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      86 86

  25. dramspotter scored this whisky 86 points Connoisseur

    the notes probably don't justice; this was great stuff, so I bought a bottle as it was excellent value for money
    • Nose
      sherry; burnt caramel
    • Taste
      oloroso, touch sour, quite tannic
    • Finish
      medium->long; some heartburn

  26. dram-drinker scored this whisky 89 points Photo Moderator

    Sherry, hints of leather, lots of spices, camphor, thyme, sage - not a bad mix

  27. OlivierSegers scored this whisky 87 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      86 86

Tastingtags

Add tasting tags by clicking the flavours you recognized in this whisky.

Whiskybase

Whiskybase was founded in 2007 with the goal to create the biggest resource of whisky information in the world. A community driven website built by and for whisky enthusiasts.  




Whiskybase B.V. 
Zwaanshals 530 
3035 KS Rotterdam 
The Netherlands 

KVK: 52072819
VAT: NL850288836B01

Copyright © 2022


Whiskies

Shop




Market



General

We use cookies to improve your online experience. By using this site, you consent to this use as described in our Privacy Policy.

Forgot your password?

Login