Glenlochy distillery started up during the whisky boom at the end of the 19th century and closed down in the whisky crisis of 1983. Glenlochy occured twice in the Rare Malts series (both bottles are highly sought after) but other than that it’s a truly rare name.

This particular cask was bottled by Part des Anges, a label set up by Laurent Buob and Thierry Richard, French wine / champagne sellers. The Closed Distilleries series is a collection of single casks from… closed distilleries of course. It seems the series never gained much popularity, it started in 2006 but the tempo has always been quite slow.

Glenlochy 27 yo 1980
(58,3%, Part des Anges ‘Closed Distilleries’ 2007, cask #2826, 231 btl.)

Nose: minerals, turpentine, wax… this is typically a Highland whisky and not the most accessible. Quite peaty as well, not unlike the 1980’s Brora style in fact, but maybe more medicinal than Brora. At the start it showed beautiful round notes (apple pie, fruit syrup) but these disappeared quickly. Settles on paraffin and grasses. Mouth: punchy, again waxy and mineral but it show a little more roundness now (lime, apple). Spices (ginger, pepper). Some earthy notes and peat. Camphor and mint. A slightly oaky dryness as well. Finish: long, kind of hot and peaty.

A confident example of the Highlands austerity. Therefore not a real seducer but more of an intellectual malt. Around € 180.

Score: 87/100