Serge
Glen Garioch 1994/2011 (53.9%, OB, batch No 32, North American oak barrels) It’s quite ‘funny’ that Glen Garioch has been following Bowmore’s path, glorious 1960s, excellent early to mid 1970s, then a drop (sometimes abysmal), and then some great spirit again from around 1990 on. Let’s check this new baby… Colour: white wine. Nose: starts quite hot, a tad spirity and all on fresh garden fruit, mainly pears and apples as well as greengages. Also a little pineapple drop and then more wet rocks or gravel, with an obvious flinty side, and lastly, more vegetal notes (fern, grass, earth, humus) and vanilla. With water: gets farmier, more on grains, barnyard, leaven and then peat… We’re close to the barley here, and that’s very nice in this context. Nice nose. Mouth (neat): much in line with the nose, pear drops, liquorice, cough drops, berries… (cranberries). Pleasant bitterness (strong green tea, peat). With water: becomes more compact, nicely so, with rather more oranges and touches of cloves. It’s a big, full-bodied dram. Finish: medium long, maybe even a tad short despite the mint, the liquorice and the pepper that are in the aftertaste. Comments: quite perfect youngish Glen Garioch, fresh, full and moderately peaty. We’re probably not back to the fab level of the 1960s and early 1970s yet but that may be coming… SGP:453 - 85 points.