Saturday 19 October 2013

Glenrothes 1998


Spirit Name:
Spirit Type:

Glenrothes 1998 Vintage
Single malt
Score:
87/100
2, medal, silver icon

ABV:
43%
Region:
Speyside, Scotland 
Body:
Medium
Intensity:
Medium
Texture:
Medium
Balance:
Excellent 
Best served:

Theme(s):
Cereal notes, wholemeal, gingerbread, vanilla, cocoa, bread and butter pudding, raisins, cooked raspberries, tart fruit pie, Autumn leaves, golden honey, caster sugar, cinnamon, bitter marmalade, dried figs 
Summary:
Getting better and better with each tasting, golden honey and cinnamon brightens the tart and sweet cooked fruit as granular cereal notes are smoothed by gentle vanillas, malt and the leafy gusts of Autumn winds - be patient with this one, and with time its subtle shades of complexity should unfurl 

Tasting notes:
Nose: Fresh and crisp, sparks of cereal notes emerge with layers of vanilla, gingerbread, cocoa and bread and butter pudding packed full of raisins. The first whiff of this whisky is disappointing, but as the whisky rests in the glass the character develops into something unique and yet typically Glenrothes with sparks of spice igniting within malt. The sweetness develops into cooked raspberries over which sits a dusting of caster sugar and some golden honey – that sugar is something special, as the dusty caster sugar develops into hard shards of toffee and in the backdrop burns a freshly lit match. This whisky conjures memories of Autumn – dry leaves and freshness.

Taste: A flood of malt carries bright spices such as cinnamon, as a sweetness develops in the form of whole meal raspberry and apple pie – the crunch of the pastry and the syrupy sweetness is balanced by those tart raspberries and attached to the dense wholemeal cereal notes is mild vanilla and spice bread. The cereal notes are crisp and complex, with bursts of honey sweetness and granular nuances of complexity that interact with very mild bitter marmalade that quickly shines and then vanishes - there is so much to explore, with some occasional bursts of character (the marmalade for example) flashing on the palate and then vanishing.

Finish: Warming cocoa and cinnamon brighten the palate with dried figs.
Likes:
Highly complex and very smooth 
Warning:
Be warned, this should in my view be recommended for those familiar with the Glenrothes style and those who appreciate (or even enjoy!) notes of sulphur - not necessarily and bad thing, but a taste thing
Price:
£42 (UK)

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