Glen Spey 2000 12 Year Cask #265 (Berry Bros. & Rudd)

After battling the flu for over a week, I'm back to my usual reviewing. The first one after recovering is the first from round 5 of our Scottish Distillery Tour. Stop number 64 is Glen Spey. This Speyside distillery is owned by Diageo and produces very few official bottlings; most of its production goes into J&B Rare blends. This single malt is from independent bottlers Berry Brothers & Rudd. It's 12 years old, distilled in 2000, and bottled in 2013 from cask number 265, likely a single cask. Bottled at 46% ABV, it's non-chill filtered and naturally colored, appearing very pale straw. Wow, this is a very strange aroma. Visually it's straw-colored, but the nose is intensely green: green oak and wood resin/sap, grassy and very herbal with oregano and basil. It's also quite vegetal, like cooked celery and water chestnuts. There are notes of almonds and marzipan with a faint honey hint. A fleeting sweetness like old raisins and faint apricots. It's earthy, reminiscent of root vegetables straight from the garden, unwashed. A highly unusual nose. Not entirely pleasant, but unlike anything I've encountered before. Adding a drop or two of water brought out weak ginger and lemon oil, but mostly intensified the vegetal notes. The palate strongly reflects the aroma: vegetal, celery, and water chestnuts with a touch of fennel. Green oak and a hint of honey. Green grass, earthy with a dusting of pepper. A distant sweetness that never fully materializes due to the overwhelming vegetal notes. There's also a mineral quality. The mouthfeel is light to medium-bodied. It's mouthwatering initially but becomes somewhat dry with a fizzy or fuzzy sensation, almost as if it's lightly carbonated. Strange. The finish is both short and long. The short part has almonds, grass, herbs, and a light mint. The vegetal and mineral notes, along with green oak, seem to linger indefinitely, which isn't really a positive. This is not at all what I expected from a Speysider. The notes are odd, and the profile is strange. I'm unsure if this represents the distillery's character or if it's just a poor cask selection (or both). Perhaps they should have skipped cask 265 and chosen 266. Another miss from an independent bottler. At $70, it's an even bigger miss. I certainly wouldn't buy another bottle, even if I had the chance. 2.5/5 Cheers

As we approach the conclusion of the distillery samples, a kind individual generously provided this Speysider from, coincidentally, Glen Spey. This 12-year-old sample originated from an independent bottler, Berry Bros & Rudd. It possesses an ABV of 46%, resembling American light beer in its pale yellow color, and leaves numerous long, thin legs in the glass. It has no added color and is non-chill filtered. The aroma is distinctly woody, with notes of raw, freshly cut oak or pine, young saplings, a touch of lemon, and cracked pepper. The defining characteristic is: Youthful. The taste mirrors the aroma, with an added hint of minerality. It is somewhat sharp and metallic, yet remains surprisingly smooth, especially for its 46% ABV. It retains a slightly oily texture through the finish. Speaking of the finish, it's of medium length, transitioning from oily to dry quite rapidly. There is no hint of heat or alcohol burn. Overall, it's uninspiring. I can understand why most of Glen Spey's spirit goes into blends; I'm uncertain what it contributes unless extensive barrel finishing is applied to the other malts in the blend. At 12 years of age, I would expect more than inherent smoothness, but I believe that's where this expression falls short. Glen Spey appears to avoid taking risks, and frankly, where's the enjoyment in that? Thanks again to my friend for spending his own money for the greater good. Let's just focus on reaching the finish line, shall we? Cheers.

Thank goodness, it's Friday night, and I get to pour this sample from the SDT group, provided by a friend. This is my first time trying Glen Spey. The aroma is exactly like freshly cut wood or sappy, wet pine, with some cedar deep down. There's lemon-lime citrus and a grassy, vegetal earthiness. It definitely has a raw, youthful quality. The palate offers a rough welcome. It's oily and medium in density. It's funky, artificial yet still earthy. Green grass and white pepper are present. Some honey and butterscotch sweetness emerge briefly in the middle. Three words describe the finish: Rubber hose, white pepper, celery. This lacks any real satisfying quality. Although listed as 12 years old, it tastes like a five-year-old. Raw and vegetal. Perhaps it would work better as a mixer (scotch and soda). But why would I spend $70 on a mixer when I can get better flavors from a blend for that purpose? Is it terrible or undrinkable? No. But it holds no real appeal. [75/100] [Tasted: 3/2/18]

Subtle aroma with vegetal notes, sage, vanilla, and mint. The palate had a light coating but a lot of herbal, chewy greens, grass, and low-key sweetness. The finish was dry and short with butterscotch and cream. It's a summer drink that needs to be paired with food. Adding a couple drops of water didn't improve the nose and made the short finish more medicinal. This is a 2.75, but only because the sweetness provided some balance. The theme for this dram should be "We Are The Vegetables" by INXS from when they were a punk band. Thanks to a friend for the sample.

This was a complete disaster. It smelled of grass, old vegetables from the bin, and a good amount of asphalt. This was provided by a friend as part of our trading group's fifth round. A note to others on the trading team: try this early in the round. On the positive side... my Girvan still holds the title of 'most likely to be spat out'. This wasn't quite at that level.