Beautiful whisky, especially on the nose.

Had this dram during the Glasgow Old&Rare show Feb 2018. This was part of a Samaroli tasting with Emmanuel Dron from the Auld Alliance.

Lots of dark sherry notes. This isn't as phenolic as the 1968 single casks. In particular cask 9 which I preferred to this dram. This one was a little less robust but thick with sherry jams and sweetness. Sweeter than 1968 perhaps not quite as balanced but still a mighty fine whisky. just massively overpriced in todays market.

Note by Serge Valentin from whiskyfun.com:

Glen Garioch 1971 (59.6%, Samaroli, 2280 bottles, sherry, 75cl) Colour: almost mahogany. Nose: again a sherry monster, but this time with a big, bold peat, somehow a la Ardbeg. Haha! Incredibly rich and complex. But what a nose! Lots of meaty aromas (grandma’s meatloaf). Top notch Italian coffee, garden bonfire, Worcester sauce, tabasco, humus, burnt tyre a la Port Ellen, brand new tyre… The list could be endless… And this beautiful sherry! Triple wow, but will the mouth stand up to this extraordinary nose? Mouth: oh yeah! A cathedral, even better than the nose. I don’t know where to start… Ok, first you have all these coffeeish notes: coffee itself, burnt cake, coffee liquor, dark toffee… Then you have the peat – but one of the most subtle and magnificent peat I ever came accross. Different woods’ smokes, seaweed smoke… And finally lots of cooked fruits. No need to tell you which, they’re all in there. As for the finish, it’s long of course, but also very complex and subtle, on ‘smoked’ fruitcake. Bloody hell, that’s whisky. Okay, okay, I’ll calm down, sorry, but this one really turns me on. Ratings? Yes… Serge: 96, Olivier: 97. Yes, no less. The Brora 22 yo 1972 Rare Malts still reigns supreme on my list, with 97 points, but it could well have been given the bum’s rush this time…

Out of a H2H tonight this was the result.

Longrow 1974 56% bottled 1987 Samaroli 

Glen Garioch 1971 Full proof 59.6% Samaroli  

Ledaig 1973 14 year 56.3% Sestante Castle Label 

Brora 4th Annual Release 1975 30 year 56.3% OB 

Lagavulin 1976 37 year 51% OB 

Port Ellen 10th Annual Release 1978 31 year 54.6% OB 

Laphroaig 1967 27 year cask 2957 50.1% Signatory dumpy 

Caol Ila 15 year Manager`s Dram sherry 63% OB 

Ardbeg 1976 25 year cask 2390 LMDW 53.1% OB  

It will be interesting to compare this to the 15 year Caol Ila Manager's Dram for how the sherry and peat mix.

One thing is  clear to me this is the smoothest dram I have had when you consider it is almost 60% now that is a sign of great sherry integration. 

This is a 1971 vintage yet as far as I am aware Glen Garioch was closed in 1968 and did not start producing again until 1973 under Stanley P Morrison, did they have intermittent production during the in between years?

There are no  1969 vintages but some from 70 & 71 and very little in 1972 if anything, just curious?

Anyway as far as I am aware this was bottled around 1988 so that would make it 16 or 17 years old depending on exactly the month distilled and  bottled?

Is this correct as it says in a previous post this is an 8 year old so was it actually bottled after 8 years but not officially released until some time later and kept in storage?

Is it an 8 year or approximately 17 year?

Thanks in advance

auctioned on October 3, 2017 at: https://whisky.auction/auctions/lot/21854 for £ 6,500.00 at over 2000 bottles and my average rating 3000 € are very ambitious