Glenlossie was founded in 1876 by John Duff, a former manager of GlenDronach. Another distillery, Mannochmore, was built on the same site in 1971 and the joint workforce used to alternate between the two, keeping them active for 6 months a year. Now they’re both working the year round.

Glenlossie 24 yo 1984 (59,1%,
Signatory Vintage 2009, sherry butt #2536, 549 btl.)

Nose: a pleasant foundation of red fruits, but there’s a lot of oak polish, wet limestone, grass and alcohol, making it a bit sharp. Quite some earthy notes. Wet cardboard. Over time it constantly switches between a fruity profile and a mineral, austere profile. Water makes it more fragrant (citrus flowers) and flinty. Mouth: leaning towards fruity notes now (dried apricot, lime, oranges) with lots of spices (ginger, pepper). Getting herbal towards the finish (dark herbal tea, liquorice) with a few bitter notes (tonic, aspirin) and some matchsticks. Water takes away some of the rough edges, but it’s still not completely enjoyable. Finish: half bitter, half spicy.

A rough and slightly schizophrenic Glenlossie. Personally I’m not a big fan of its heavy herbal / bitter notes. Around € 120.

Score: 80/100