We begin our month of scotch with something a little more on the lower end. Glen Garioch is by no means a bad scotch, but when you compare it to other highland scotchs even the basics of Highland Park are better. If you don’t read anything further just please go find a better highland scotch, maybe an Ardmore or Deanston’s.
As usual with a scotch the feels like going on and on we tend to talk less. Partly because we can only type so much, and only expect you to read so much. The other reason though is because if we start talking about something, and go on and on – you know it’s special. If something is bad or mediocre there’s often not much more you need to say.
What they Say: “Bottle: Hand crafted since 1797 this Non Chill Filtered 12 year old single malt gains its distinctive Highland character from a classic marriage of Bourbon & Sherry casks. Fresh heather, poached pears and just a hint of oak.
Box: The location chosen by John & Alexander Manson for their new malt whisky distillery in 1797 was an obvious one. Oldmeldrum, in the celebrated valley of the Garioch, was name the ‘Granary of Aberdeenshire’, famous for producing the finest golden barley in all of Scotland. Steeped in legacy and narrative; Glen Garioch, pronounced Geery in the ancient Doric dialect of the Scottish highlands. Culturally distinct, influenced by tradition, and over 200 years of history.
Tasting Notes: Fresh heather, rich poached pears and the sweetest of malted barley. Creme brulee, sweet ripe fruits and just a hing of oak give this Glen Garioch a long and memorable finish
Taste: 5.5 – It’s quite similar to the aroma sadly, but it does get better.
Aftertaste: 6.5 – The aftertaste is very nice and smoky.The kind of scotch that fills your whole mouth and nose making you feel like a dragon.
Burn/Smooth: 5.0 – This doesn’t hurt in a burn way, but it’s very hot and a little rough around the edges, as well it should be.
Aroma: 5.0 – It’s by no means bad or foul smelling. It just doesn’t smell like – hey drink me something about it makes it a little too tart and not bold enough
Honesty: 6.0 – They don’t really wank that much, but there’s an overall feeling that they recently re-branded to fit in with the hipster mentality based on their fonts and literature.
Mixability: 6.0
W/ Rocks: 6.0 – That’s much better, but it loses a bit of that smokyness that is a little unfortunate. Overall it’s a better experience though.
Value: 4.0 – That’s too much money for what is essentially a basic single malt, with a decent smoky aftertaste.
Google Shop Average: $46
Website: http://www.glengarioch.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 5.0
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Metric Score: 38/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.43 |+| Reviewer Average: 5.0
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Final Thoughts: We should start a series of the ‘Battle of the Glens’ with so many whiskies keeping Glen in the name it’s high time to take our backlog and focus our efforts to get them all reviewed. (Although we do kind of do too much scotch here…)
