Glen Mhor Whisky Tasting 2023
After a few hurdles, we finally pulled together a Glen Mhor
whisky tasting in Edinburgh last month. The on then off event was somewhat
of a challenge given some unforeseen (and unfair?) external forces. I’m
thankful for Mark Davidson’s efforts to overcome these and that the whisky could flow.
The actions impacted on some attendees who were travelling
from all ends of the country. In the end, not everyone could make it and that’s
a real shame. Hopefully, I can put together something nearby in the near future
to make amends. Still, we did have attendees from far flung places such as Orkney,
California and the wilderness of Fife. I’m thankful for everyone that made the effort
and appreciative of the wonderful comments I received in person about my
research efforts here. I'm not used to such humbling feedback and I made a valid attempt to get around the tables and speak with everyone without stepping on Mark's toes.
We did have a venue change and this worked out well. I hadn’t
been to Bennets Bar on Leven Street before, but I found it most agreeable. And
having the back room meant we had an exclusive area to explore Glen Mhor with
the staff being most helpful. I suspect Mark might be using this venue for his
own requirements in due course.
The photograph above actually shows the tasting order for the evening from left to right. Kicking off with the Hart Brothers offering that I've previously reviewed here and thoroughly enjoyed. I felt that this was an ideal starter; clean and fresh and somewhat devoid of the funky aspects that some have associated with Glen Mhor. Essentially, setting up attendees for the sucker punches that soon followed.
This was warmly received with a couple falling above and below that line, which is fair enough. A pleasant malt, earnest and honest, one that I'd happily return to again and again.
As promised I clocked some of tasting notes from attendees and rather than regurgitate my own tasting notes, I thought it more beneficial to access the group and what they thought.
Dram 1
Nose
feinty, cider, red/yellow apples, dusty, zesty, bright gold, delicate, sourish farmyard, fresh red apples, apple cider, dirty cereal seasoned with honey, lemon, Madelene, burnt bakery.
Palate
grippy texture for 43%, fizzy, white fleshy tropical. Tight and fruity, fizzy spice, slightly bitter oak around the edges, fresh fruits, a touch oily. Pear juice, pineapple, coconut.
Finish
green apples, metallic, medium-short in length, benefits from a couple drops of water. Oak and malt, slightly drying. Stringent.
Dram 2
Taking us down a rather more unstable route, is the 1979 offering from Gordon & MacPhail bottled in 2004, which I previously reviewed. This whisky was overall the least liked by attendees, which may have been a result of its lower strength and mass vatting approach. With some tasting notes being:
Nose
old bottle, musty, raisins, plum jam, herbaceous, rosemary, floral. Tomato soup, richer the longer in the glass, a touch of polish. Rich fruits, golden apples, cinnamon, effervescent, malt dust, apple juice.
Palate
dusty malt, diluted honey, fizzy minerals, sandalwood, warm peppery spice, tight fruits, getting sweeter as time goes by. Fresh green fruits with leaves. The colour pink, mineral water, artificial tropical fruit, white pepper, green melon, marshmallow, thin caramel. Herby, meaty, salty, peach in syrup, cherry, mint, balsamic, spicy.
Finish
mild and dry, some waxy fruits and oak tannins. Orchard fruit, caramel apples and after 90 minutes became lime juicy, balsamic.
Dram 3
We kicked on, yes it's a tough gig! Next up was the rarely seen Glenkeir Treasures offering from Glen Mhor being a single cask. Yes, the same range offered by the Whisky Shop should you step into their retail environment. This harks back to the days of when they put out some splendid casks.
Of all the bottles I opened, this is the one that really benefited from that practice and being allowed to open up. An extremely interesting Glen Mhor, it found widespread interest amongst attendees. Distilled in 1975 this is another from the Saladin Box era, bottled at 30 years of age in November 2005, from a single cask that produced 270 bottles at 51.2%.
Nose
golden sundried raisins, generic tropicality, dry pine needles, pink sugary dustiness, leather, laundry detergent. Antique sandalwood, lightly smoked malt, ripe fruits, lightly dusty. Apricot, strawberries, cream, herbaceous, figs, pear and tropical.
Palate
salty, white tropical fruits, pear, black pepper, becomes fruitier with water, a trace of smoke. White peaches, slightly toasted oak, a touch buttery at the back, heather honey. Aromatic wood, mouthful of peppery spices, sweet honey and fruits. Warming, apricot, fake sweet fruit, tart fruit, pineapple.
Finish
metallic, melon, fennel, thin. Slightly meaty, plenty of juicy oak, mouth warming peppery spices, slightly drying, slightly waxy. Chewy, cherry.
Dram 4
No rest of the wicked as we reached the Cadenhead's offering for this evening. A regular bottler until the past few years, this Campbeltown institution still have one cask maturing, which I've been fortunate to taste on a couple of occasions. It'll be well worth the wait and best to save up now for it.
This 30 year old was distilled during the final full year of production, before being bottled in October 2012, with an outturn of 198 bottles as part of their closed distillery series from a bourbon cask. The Danish branch of Cadenhead's still has stock, but a bottle will cost you the UK equivalent of £944 before any customs charges are applied; one of the joys of Brexit, the gift that just keeps on giving.
Nose
golden sundried raisins, generic tropicality, dry pine needles, pink sugary dustiness, leather, laundry detergent. Antique sandalwood, lightly smoked malt, ripe fruits, lightly dusty. Apricot, strawberries, cream, herbaceous, figs, pear and tropical.
Palate
salty, white tropical fruits, pear, black pepper, becomes fruitier with water, a trace of smoke. White peaches, slightly toasted oak, a touch buttery at the back, heather honey. Aromatic wood, mouthful of peppery spices, sweet honey and fruits. Warming, apricot, fake sweet fruit, tart fruit, pineapple.
Finish
metallic, melon, fennel, thin. Slightly meaty, plenty of juicy oak, mouth warming peppery spices, slightly drying, slightly waxy. Chewy, cherry.
This was overall the most acclaimed of the bottlings on the night. A fantastic example of an old school malt, matured fully in bourbon and bursting with tropical flavours. My enjoyment came from seeing others enjoy this pour, regardless of values etc. Those are memories that I can take with me.
And before we knew it, the end was in sight with the 5th bottling of Glen Mhor offering a unique chance to experience a full maturation in sherry. I'd guess that 98-99% of Glen Mhor's cask inventory was ex-bourbon, so these bottlings come at a premium and are rare things indeed. Would we have some old school sherry notes thanks to a great cask? Only one way to find out...
A Signatory from 1980 displaying more details than most other indies offer today, which is very helpful when considering its place and time. Bottled at 20 years of age on 30th January 2001, it was distilled on 4th March 1980 and matured in butt number 879, before being bottled at 43% with an outturn of 812 bottles. That's a considerable outturn but you have to consider the cutbacks of the 1980s as things were stripped out to keep costs down, including diluting prior to going into the cask. These sorts of moves had a accidental upside, allowing for extra long maturation (see Diageo Port Ellen and Brora special releases) with new flavour compounds unlocked.
Dram 5
Nose
old school musty sherry with a bit of sulphur, dark red fruit, leather chair, library vibes, very dark chocolate, very good quality sherry cask, tropical lightness. Musty, rubber, raisins, empty wine cask.
Palate
raspberry, effervescent, fleshy white tropical fruit. Cinnamon and drying.
Finish
very drying with black spices.
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