Glenrothes 11 year 2007 "Ralfy.com" (North Star Spirits)

The aroma is a potent blend of oloroso sherry, leather, and orange marmalade with a touch of ginger and cocoa. It has an appealing richness and some oily nuttiness. It's a characteristic Glenrothes scent, only slightly marred by a faint soapy note. It's also a bit spirited initially, but it doesn't detract from the overall experience. Adding water reveals lighter cereal scents. The arrival is vibrant and an interesting combination of smooth and lively textures. Dark fruits and robust malty notes emerge as it develops, leading to a richer taste. There's sweetness, but it's a deep, earthy sweetness, reminiscent of strong malt and peanut brittle. A flinty note is also present. The finish is medium, with semi-sweet sherry and dark malt fading into a slightly spicy, borderline semi-sour aftertaste. This whisky was created in partnership with North Star Spirits to commemorate a decade of whisky vlogs by a certain content creator, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity. This is not a light, floral, fruity, sweet, or peaty dram. Its focus is on the diverse aromas and flavors of malt and how they interact with a quality ex-oloroso cask. It embodies an old-fashioned whisky style (somewhat like a specific Glenfarclas bottling) that hasn't undergone special finishing, and it's understandable why the aforementioned creator approved its release. It's a solid, grounded spirit. However, despite its quality, it's not perfect or amazing – at least not to my palate. I found it lacked depth when tasted neat, and adding water significantly improved it. The aroma became more complex and varied with water, including hints of spicy pepper and fresh biscuit. The palate softened, with the initial flinty note transitioning to a more earthy/mineral quality, and a bit more dark fruit sweetness appeared. The content creator is known for preferring watered drams, and it's easy to see them appreciating this treatment here. With only 618 bottles produced globally, allocations were limited in certain regions. You might still locate a bottle, but unfortunately, I suspect many will end up on auction sites indefinitely. A shame. "Good" rating: 83/100 (3.5 stars)

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Whisky Tasting, September 9, 2020). Distilled: September 2007 Bottled from a single sherry butt in August 2019 Limited run of 618 bottles Nose: Chocolate toffees, honey, butterscotch, Crunchie chocolate bar Palate: Alcohol forward. Very rich, chocolate, toffee, sweet. Finish: Dark chocolate, quite bitter. Hay, fennel and herbs on the finish. Slightly sour right at the end. Creamy texture A few drops of water enhance it. Overall, this is a substantial and heavy dram. Placed fourth out of the six malts sampled that evening, receiving 9% of the votes for favorite.