Glen Garioch is one of these distilleries that produced awesome whisky in the past (as well as soap-wrecked rubbish) and that seems to have lost its unique qualities in later years. I’m curious to see try this Glen Garioch 1990, part of the latest Archives series..

Glen Garioch 21 yo 1990
(54%, Archives 2012, hogshead #252, 267 btl.)

Nose: a lot of cereal notes with caramel and butter. Some vegetal notes. Hay. Cider apples. Not the freshest nose (you can call it old-style if you like). A soft smokiness as well. Honeyed tea and faint floral notes. Mouth: quite grainy again, a little harsh and pungent. Mineral elements, walnuts, quite some honey sweetness, red apple and spices (liquorice, ginger). It’s rather oily and even shows some coastal hints and hints of peat. Finish: medium long, malty and slightly earthy.

Quite interesting as a showcase of typical coastal Highlands elements, but also a little too rough and grainy to win me over. Around € 70. Available from the Whiskybase shop.

Score: 81/100