There’s one thing I don’t like about the restyled The Nectar of the Daily Drams bottlings, the fact that they give us little information. The labels  simply state the distillery, the age and the year of distillation / bottling. None of the recent bottlings include a cask number, the number of bottles available, the cask type or other information that in my opinion adds to the professionalism of a bottler.

This is a 25 years old Glen Elgin distilled in 1984. Did you know the Glen Elgin distillery was designed by an architect named Charles Cree Doig who designed a whopping 56 Scottish distilleries and co-designed a similar amount? He’s also the inventor of the pagoda roof.

Glen Elgin 25 yo 1984
(43,8%, Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: juicy and fruity in the great Speyside tradition, with quite some citrus and pear, peach and a dash of honey. There’s also a crisp spiciness and hints of heather and orange blossom. Soft wax as well. Malt and grains. Punchy enough despite the slightly lower strength (note that it’s probably still cask strength?). Mouth: starting fruity but not overly sweet, quickly getting drier and developing on a sourish wood / lemon skin combo. Citrus again (grapefruit rather than oranges). Hints of ginger and mint. Growing quite malty, oaky and salty, balanced by tangerine and a faint hint of smoke (or is that just imagination?). Finish: warm, malty and oaky with hints of cider apples.

A diverse Glen Elgin. The nose is definitely the part I like the most. Around € 95.

Score: 85/100