Glenturret Peated Edition (40%)

Continuing on with my never ending quest to clear out my backlog of samples we come to Glenturret, one of the “other” Edrington Group distilleries. Not as well known as its sister distilleries of Macallan and Highland Park, but just as important when it comes to the blends of Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. Here we have an expression not currently available in the States, but thanks to my friend who orders from the U.K. quite often, I get the chance to try this peated NAS single malt. Bottled at the minimum 40% ABV which certainly implies that it is chill filtered, but since the other Edrington brands do not add colorant I would have to conclude that this is indeed natural color of a yellow gold. The nose is very malty with plenty of honey. It’s loaded with grilled apricots and tangerines. A modest peat level but well layered into the fruity notes. Smoky and ashy with cigar tobacco. Orange zest, candied pineapple, ginger, nutmeg and anise. Somewhat floral with a touch of bitterness. A bit of English toffee and buttercream. A simple nose but it’s light, refreshing and aromatic. Very warm and welcoming. If the nose was simple, the palate is down right basic. A soft, sweet arrival with fruits and light smoke. Grilled apricots and nectarines. Some ginger and notes of cardboard. Vanilla, malty, ashes and charred oak. A light bodied mouthfeel that is lightly oily and thin. The finish is medium length with peat smoke and slightly bitter oak. This is a simple dram that doesn’t require a lot of attention and goes down easily. The nose is warm and inviting but the palate is a bit flat. Not something to ponder over, but definitely an anytime sipper if you want light peat and some gentle sweetness. 3.25 Cheers

I found this bottle while searching for some interesting (and inexpensive) bottles to add to an international online order I placed a few weeks ago. I recently tried my first Glenturret and found it to be slightly above average, so I added a couple of bottles of these new, NAS releases to my order: Peated, Sherry, and Peated (UK). The worldwide Peated NAS is 43% ABV, as opposed to this 40% one. I guess the Brits prefer a milder Glenturret than us, lol. This was deep gold in the tasting glass, with thin, yet oily legs and heavy drops. The nose was predominantly earthy peat, butter, and light BBQ smoke. There was a bready, mealy backbone where the cask notes should have been. The palate was ruined by the buttery presence; there’s some smoke, but so much butter that it masked any cask notes, any ABV, and pretty much any sense of whisky. There was a smoky bacon characteristic on the tail end and into the finish, but not enough to salvage this struggling dram. The finish was short with weak peat notes and a bit of raw, abrasive oak. It left the mouth feeling dry. Overall, this is a failure. I’m not so sure an increase in ABV will help here, so I’m not even excited about the worldwide edition bottle that I have, if it’s made from the same stock (which it probably is). Hopefully, the sherry cask version will be much more agreeable. This is a 2.25-2.5 star offering that I paid just over $50 for and that I can’t recommend to anyone, even the Brits. Sorry.