Glen Garioch Vintage 1999

Review Score: 9/23 This 1999 bottling marks the second-to-last spirit in my endeavor to review 2000 different drinks! Appearance: Although one year younger than the 1997 version I just sampled, this appears darker, leading me to suspect it may have undergone a sherry finishing process. Nose: I had reservations about this one. It presents more savory notes than the 1997 bottling. I do detect some sherry-influenced fruit. I'll allow it some time to rest. After resting for a few minutes, I'm getting classic Pedro Ximénez finish characteristics! That presents its own challenges, but it's a welcome change from the roasted meat. It offers cherry, blackberry, licorice, menthol, and black pepper. There's also a faint hint of roasted meat. It's a bit more PX than I prefer, but I'll accept it. Palate: Pedro Ximénez and young spirit! It's hot! There's a pleasing richness, but the roasted meat notes are more prominent than anticipated, along with other bitter flavors and a harshness reminiscent of a young spirit. A touch of sulfur is present, which I find quite off-putting. I'm getting the impression that an attempt was made to mask a poorly aged spirit with a PX finish. I do detect hints of black pepper, licorice, and menthol, with more noticeable blackberry and tart strawberry notes, but the peculiar meatiness and sulfur dominate. I'm not enjoying this. There are intermittent notes of malt and light vanilla, but they aren't the primary components. Surprisingly, there's some cinnamon and pleasant wood notes contributing a hint of clove, but they are largely overwhelmed by the other flavors. Finish: The malt becomes much more apparent here - along with a bit more vanilla! At least initially. As it progresses, more meat and sulfur emerge, beginning at a roasted level, but gradually shifting towards undercooked and then raw characteristics. It's like the dram is aging in reverse, Benjamin Button style. A truly unpleasant finish. - Final Thoughts - A different bottling from the same brand, released in 1996, is stranger and more bitter than this, but its flavors feel more deliberate. While some aspects of this drink are preferable, it generally tastes worse. I wouldn't rate it higher than a 14. As a point of comparison, a different bottling from a different distillery, released in 1994, significantly surpasses this one. I suspect this one isn't even a 14. It's actually somewhat disagreeable. I'm in a difficult position as I have very few spirits I've found to be this disappointing. A different bottling from 1987 offers delightful coconut and an oily texture when compared to this. Oh, the sulfur is noticeable here when placed side-by-side. Even a different brand's bottling, released in 1996, possesses an elegance and subtlety that makes me prefer it when compared directly. This is genuinely undrinkable. I'm now in the 11 or lower range, which is challenging as I lack comparable spirits in that category. This is undeniably a poor dram. When compared, this somehow makes a particular gin bottling, released in 2009, seem almost reasonable. I'm uncertain whether this is better or worse, though. Even another whiskey, released in 2014, comes across as far more mature and cohesive than this. The sherry influence here isn't as effective, the sulfur is more pronounced, the existing flavors are more jumbled, and there's a stronger alcohol bite. I can't see this scoring above a 10. I'm thinking it's in the 8 to 10 range. It reminds me of a different bottling from 2012, and I don't believe the sulfur and oddness are significant enough to drop it to that level, but they come close. I believe it comes down to my comparison with the gin... which isn't an ideal comparison. I find the gin to be slightly better, but not by much. I'm leaning towards a 9 for this. It could be a 10, however. It's definitely not an 11, but it's not drastically inferior. I can certainly envision a score of 10 for this, but it's a challenging experience. Drinking this is truly not enjoyable. What a massive letdown. I didn't have high expectations after the previous bottling from this distillery, but I had no idea it could be as disappointing as it turned out. Consequently, I will likely avoid this distillery.

Excellent quality. Nose: Raisins, Toffee, Sultanas, Oak, Dark Chocolate, Honey, Coffee, Green Apples, Apricots, Red Apples Palate: Honey, Raisins, Sultanas, Pineapples, Nutmeg, Hazlenuts, Almonds, Dark Chocolate, Cloves, Plums, Leather, Oak Finish: Pepper, Nutmeg, Almonds, Chocolate, Toffee, Cherries, Walnuts, Cranberries, Raspberries, Sultanas, Raisins, Leather