Glen Garioch 1976 (SMWS 19.1)

This is the first Glen Garioch ever bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. A 1976 cask, merely 8 or 9 years old at the time.

Glen Garioch 1976 (50.4%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 1985, SMWS 19.1)

Nose: entirely on herbal notes, dried grass and minerals. Wet limestone, olive brine, hay, sooty notes and peat. Also lemony sharpness and a bit of lacquer paint and metal polish. Delicate but nice. Light fragrant notes in the background, perfumy but not disturbing.

Mouth: more disturbing. Barley sugar, the same coastal sharpness and brine but also plain FWP now. Cologne and lavender indeed. Peaty notes underneath but hard to keep drinking this.

Finish: shame.

FWP (“French whore perfume”) is really a blocking point, hard to get over in my case. Not sure why the SMWS would pick this one as their first bottling. It may not be the worst example but still… Scoring is pointless really. Next please.

However, as people sometimes blame me for not using the full 100 scale, here you go. Score: 30/100 (for the nose)