Glen Garioch 12 Year

Nose: Leather, lemon, honey, a faint scent of wildflowers. Some subtle sherry cask aromas linger in the background. After sitting in the glass, I detected hay, earth, machine oil, and a briny maritime quality. Smelling this is like strolling through a recently harvested field by the sea on a sunny day. Palate: A sweet, malty arrival with morello cherries and papaya. A hint of ginger along with grassy herbal notes develop. A touch of black pepper and smoked capsicum, and toward the finish, the sweetness returns. This whisky evolves - excellent! It has a zesty citrus and spice quality, and a lightly oily texture. Finish: Medium. Black tea with a mild spicy, sweet, citrus aftertaste. This expression completely escaped my attention when it was initially released, and I overlooked it for a decade, but I'm very pleased to have finally tasted it, and even more so that it's still available as a core product. The nose gains a dusty floral aroma with water, but it loses more than it gains. The neat nose on this is lovely, so don't overwork it. Water develops a creaminess on the palate but also amplifies the spice notes beyond the base malty character, which is a shame. Overall, it's best enjoyed neat. A word of advice... are Hazelburn, Kilkerran, or Ben Nevis hard to find in your area? Give this a try. Tasted from a 30ml sample. My glass is now empty, and I desire another serving – bottle purchased without hesitation. "Very Good": 87/100 (4.25 stars)

- Single malt scotch whisky - 48% ABV - Non-chill filtered - 1-liter bottle (retail stores) - Region: Highlands Aroma: fruity, fresh strawberries, red berries in general, very present sherry notes, a little bit of vanilla, toffee, sweetness, figs, woody, spicy, nutmeg, herbal, cinnamon, very evident malt, caramel, and no alcohol. Very pleasant and complex aromas! Palate: buttery, fruity, herbal, sweet, toffee, spicy, very evident sherry notes, strawberries and red berries, woody, gentle bitterness, peppery, a little alcohol (48%, nothing more natural!!!) and good oiliness. The flavor is excellent! Finish: medium to long, with bitterness and sweetness well-balanced. The sherry notes are very present, but not overwhelming. General Impressions: this whisky makes any lover of good whiskies happy! Complexity, quality, and at an extremely accessible price! The flavors and aromas of Glen Garioch are very intense, and the quality of the barrels used in its maturation is impressive. A very pleasant experience, and a whisky that you don't want to stop tasting. Despite its high ABV, at no point does it make the tasting unpleasant, which reinforces the quality and care in the maturation of this whisky! An excellent 12-year-old that will certainly be part of my personal bar again.

Initially, the aroma brings to mind Redbreast 12 Irish Whiskey. A jammy, fruity bouquet follows, starting with strawberry, raspberry, red currant, red pear, Pink Lady apple, and a subtle hint of pink grapefruit. I also detect vanilla taffy and just a whisper of sea air. It's sweet and tart on the palate, with ample salted caramel and citrus, both orange and lemon. Stewed fruits and vanilla pastry come next. I also notice spicy heat in the form of white pepper and allspice. It evokes a Fruits of the Forest pie. Good legs appear slowly at first, descending as a tight sheet before forming substantial droplets midway through the glass, which then rapidly transform into streaking bolts amidst scattered clouds. It has a syrupy texture in the mouth, but isn't overly heavy. The medium, bittersweet finish finally reveals the sherry oak influence with plenty of nutty tannins, Ceylon tea, and red grape skins. There's also a chalkiness that makes the finish intriguing initially, but it eventually becomes a bit too dusty. Adding a dash of water tames the sweetness and heat, while imparting a slight creaminess to the body. A delightful "old school" malt.

This full-bodied Scotch from Glen Garioch presents a complexity of flavors that made sipping lengthy, enjoyable, and worth savoring. Observe the slow, trickling legs down the glass walls and anticipate a long finish with a flavor profile that continuously transforms on your palate. Considering its age and the bottle's cost, I'd argue this underrated single malt offers fantastic value. There's much to uncover from this old, quiet eastern distillery located in Oldmeldrum, Scotland, and I hope to explore more of their offerings. This was a very impressive initial experience, to say the least! NOSE: Smoke, light peat, salted caramel, dried cherries, almond, marzipan, oak, sweetened chestnut purée PALATE: Smoke, salt, heather, poached pears, caramel, sherry, malt, subtle licorice FINISH: Light peat, salt, caramelized pears, malt, light oak, green tea leaves Rating: 87/100 Grade: B+ Great - always want to have a bottle.

The nose first offers pear, then hay/grass, dampness, and floral notes. Perhaps a hint of honey. The palate has a sharpness. Something like white cheese or yogurt comes to mind. Malty. Some leather. There's a honey-apple sweetness, but it's not a particularly sweet dram. Slightly underripe pear. Some vanilla. A bit of bitterness at the finish. Leather. I believe this has the potential to grow on me. It seems somewhat challenging and certainly not for beginners. I can definitely see a resemblance to something from Campbeltown, like Springbank/Kilkerran (referencing a comment by a user who made the connection. Thanks to them, as their review heavily influenced my purchase decision). An interesting whisky. I will likely update this review as I consume more of the bottle. Update: It's been growing on me. Vanilla, honey, leather. Increasing the score to 4.0.

Non-chillfiltered and quite potent, this single malt smacks you upside the head to get your attention. A beautiful amber (not certain if color is added), slender but slow legs. Nose: Grassy and fresh with a delayed ethanol kiss, faint heather. Palate: Dessert honeyed pears and flambéed peaches, big heathery and pungent maltiness, a tad creamy too. Finish: Lingering malt and heather with a dried fruit (fig?) pop. Fairly lasting, I'd say. The 48% surely accentuates all the flavor you will perceive – which is much appreciated. This humble distillery with old roots that has changed hands several times stays true to their heritage and delivers an exceptional taste of what a Highland malt should evoke. It's scarce up in these parts, so I snatch what I can and savor patiently until more arrives!