A couple of other Glenrothes 1988 casks crossed our path lately. While this one is a sister cask of #7318 bottled in the Archives series, it’s clearly darker – supposedly more sherried.

Glenrothes 24 yo 1988 (49,3%, Whisky-Doris 2012, sherry hogshead #7317, 288 btl.)

Nose: indeed more sherried, with the classical plum compote and dates. Lots of orange notes. Acacia honey. Then also some nutty notes, liquorice and hint of pepper. Not too winey, virtually no gunpowder notes either. All good. Mouth: in the same league really. Spicy layers with plenty of fruits underneath. Raisins, dates, oranges, baked red apples. A pleasant honey sweetness again, even some plain brown candy sugar. Again some nutty notes and faint coffee in the background. Finish: long, still quite sweet and rounded, with lingering fruits and a slow, chocolaty dryness.

Here’s a nice example of the middle-aged sherried Glenrothes character. Slightly more vinous than the distillery releases, but sweeter and more intense as well. Around € 100.

Score: 86/100