Glen Albyn is a distillery which we haven’t had before on this blog. That’s not really a surprise as it was closed in 1983 (just like the other two distilleries in Inverness) and demolished in 1986. Bottlings are very rare. Apart from a Rare Malts 26yo 1975, there never were official bottlings. Even independent releases can be counted on one hand.

Glen Albyn 33 yo 1974 (58,9%, Clydesdale 2008, cask #0016/1601, 248 btl.)

Nose: starts on freshly cut grass and grains. After a while, it develops fruity notes of unripe mango, green apple, tangerine and lime. Faint strawberries. Quite “green”. A bit of leather and clean oak. After a while, an unexpected whiff of sea air can be detected. Quite smooth and harmonious. Mouth: good attack, again high on citrus with added spices (cinnamon, a bit of pepper). Big hints of unripe stone fruits and apples. Gets drier towards the end with some pine oak and resinous notes. Finish: long, lots of lemon with dry oak and a slightly bitter edge.

An unusual but very interesting dram that needs time. Nevertheless it convinced me completely. Great cask selection by The Clydesdale. Around € 150 if you’re lucky enough to find one.

Score: 90/100