Glen Garioch 21 yo (bottled 1995) vs Glen Garioch 22 yo 1990/2012 Mackillop’s Choice #10295
The idea here is to compare 2 Glen Garioch in their early 20s, one distilled circa early 70s and the other distilled 1990. I expect noticeable changes, as Glen Garioch lost i’s peat, and also underwent one change of ownership, which suggests a change in distillation regime might have occurred as well.
Glen Garioch 21 yo (bottled 1995) 43%
An older iteration of the 21.
Nose: Good start. Round and oily, and distinctly old school. Mix of rusty tins, cloth stained with some slightly rancid oil, box of candles, piles of worn out leather and lots of sweet wood. Musty-wet-and-sodden-wood that is. Quite some soot and herb smoke, and in fact very earthy and with no small measure of peat. Just feels a little weak.
Palate: Showing some florals now, a cross between chrysanthemum tea and something a little more purple… More dried satchet than perfume though. Lost somewhere underneath that is some cooking oil and earthy woody notes. Also lost is the delightful sooty peaty quality present on the nose.
Finish: Medium, some phenolics make it back to the finish. Metal polish, soot and peaty smoke. A pity, nose was very becoming.
A score to reflect the nose and be somewhat forgiving about the palate.
Glen Garioch 22 yo 1990/2012 Mackillop’s Choice #10295 53.8%
Nose: No way you can tell it’s the same distillery. Completely different style. This is sharp and citric and white chalk-y and stone-y mineralled and thin bladed like some great modern Highlanders. The juice of green apples, green kiwis, and celery on ice. A comparatively narrow and clean profile but wait 15 minutes later the brown sweetness of bourbon wood and vanilla pods appear. Is this development or lack of integration?
Palate: Much in line with the nose, rather thin sharp profile but with overtones of some mentholated camphor rub. Lots of blazing white heat, ginger, battery acid on a razor. And again wood makes an appearance after the spirit had its say, and remains to the finish.
Finish: Medium long, some damp wood, oak tannins, chalk, leftover menthol and heat.
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