10 year old Glen Elgin drawn from a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel. Sweet, Fruity & Mellow profile.
Nose: Cotton sheets and cotton candy with a lovely fruit punch of pineapple, raspberries and hedgerow berries. There’s dusty wood and spice in the background – oak beams and crystalline ginger – as well as some delicate cut garden stems from lavender and sunflower. Water adds creaminess with a foamy latte, crème brulee and toasted breakfast cereals.
Taste: An impactful arrival aided by the high ABV delivers fruits and florals. Raspberries, mango slices with citrus peels to lift alongside honeysuckle and elderflower tea. The mid to back palates offer a more traditional ex-bourbon profile with vanilla and custard – but both marry well with the basket of fruits and flowershop basket of cut stems. Reduction takes things to the rose garden with Turkish delight then heading off to the patisserie for some coconut macaroons and choux buns.
Finish: Medium with ground white pepper and fresh green pepper alongside ginger and an interesting note of curryleaf.
This Glen Elgin is pronounced, defined and quite delicious. Whilst amongst the cheapest bottles from this month’s outturn, to my taste, it’s one of the most successful. Recommended.