13 year old Glen Grant matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel.
Nose: Delicate, but entirely pleasant. All on bakery with yeasty bread, oven-backed biscuits and buttery flan bases. Malt loaf and cocoa nibs sit with water crackers, whilst waxed jackets and olive oil provide a hint of come textural elements. The addition of water expresses fresh cotton laundry, cinnamon spicing and a punnet of red berries.
Taste: A spicy arrival – cinnamon, pepper and chilli – potent, but tempered by natural sweetness from shortbread and chocolate. The mid-palate reveals malty bread, toast and bun, before the back-palate delivers further sweetness with berries (raspberry, cranberry) and spiced plums alongside a handful of mint leaves. The addition of water adds soft cookie dough as well as further spicing from cinnamon and anise.
Finish: Medium, with a fading doughiness, and steeped tea-like wood tannins.
A potently spiced, and generally commendable Glen Grant. A bit overly wooded in the finish, but the rest of the experience is well-balanced, nuanced and altogether rather tasty. Spicy & Sweet – does what it says on the tin.