Glentauchers 1991/2007 43%
Glentauchers and blends like ‘Black and White’ and ‘Teachers’ have a long relationship – James Buchanan who founded Glentauchers also created the ‘Black and White’ blend, and the distillery’s spirit has mostly gone to feed blends then as it does today. So while fairly obscure to Malt aficionados, it was regarded as an important distillery back when blends were king. (Still are? Debatable.)
(Wikimedia)
And so it was rebuilt very early on, in 1965, and expanded to 6 stills shortly after. This went on till 1985 when the distillery was mothballed and reopened under Allied ownership in 1990, who proceeded to refine the distillation regime and then use it as previous owners had. Hence here we do not see a history of storied Official bottlings, rather it is and has always been left to the independents. Nonetheless vintages of 1985 and earlier can be regarded as a different ‘make’ than those 1990 and younger. Also Pernod acquired Glentauchers in 2005, further change is almost certain.
But what of the spirit? A hint perhaps, since one does not simply walk into a bar and expect to find rows of Glentauchers: ‘Light, dry, dusty’ says the esteemed Michael Jackson (speaking on earlier distillate); ‘Full weight… Rounded… Sweet’, says Dave Broom, in their respective publications. It seems this distillery has always bent to the blender’s will.
(whisky.com)
A word on the livery: This is the Gordon & Macphail semi-official distillery label. They’ve been bottling Glentauchers under this label for years.
(commercial image)
Nose: Not the most expressive, in fact rather delicate but the spirit definitely has the upper hand: Malt bins, toasty griddle cakes, dosed with honey, topped with butter and cream. Meadow-y yellow flowers and light nectar. Also an interesting touch of wet earthiness. Petrichor?
Palate: Still hot, a spicy prickle, and everything else is rather subdued and non-existent: A generic maltiness, some pear slices, some feints, vitamin chews still in their plastic wrapping.
Finish: Short and somewhat chemicaly.
Too strange and really too weird. Nose was promising but the taste of it was just.. not working for me. Were they still working out the kinks in 1991?
Whiskyrific RSS
- Benriach 33 yo 1977 / 2011 #9119 45.7% for Asta Morris vs Benriach 35 yo 1976 / 2012 #8804 54.9%
- Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition 1994 / 2010 lgv.4/498 43% vs Lagavulin Friends of the Classic Malts 12 yo 1995 / 2008 48%
- Glen Grant 27 yo 1955 / 1982 Samaroli 43% vs Glenury Royal 24 yo 1966 / 1990 Cadenhead 53.8%
- Lochside 22 yo 1979 / 2001 Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask 276 bttls 50% vs Lochside 32 yo 1982 / 2014 Malts of Scotland #14019 55.2% vs Lochside 29 yo 1981 / 2010 Thosop 50.5%
- St Magdalene 25 yo 1964 / 1989 Cadenhead 44.2% vs St Magdalene 23 yo 1970 Rare Malts 58.43%
- Caol Ila 15 yo Sestante for Novecento 64.7% vs Caol Ila 15 yo Sestante 65.3%
- Glen Garioch 25 yo 1990 / 2017 LMdW ‘Artist #7’ Cask #2694 52.3% vs Glen Garioch 1968 29 yo 1968 #625 57.2%
- Clynelish 90 yo 1972 / 2002 Scotch Malt Sales 58% vs Clynelish 23 yo 1974 / 1998 Rare Malts 59.1%
- Scapa 12 yo 40% ~2000 vs Scapa 8 yo Gordon & Macphail 57% ~ late 80s
- Bruichladdich 21 yo 1992 / 2014 Duncan Taylor #3987 49.7% vs Bruichladdich 22 yo 1991 / 2014 Gleann Mor #2270 55.9%
