Glen Ord 30 (2005) Review

Hi everyone,

In my opinion, Glen Ord is definitely one of those underrated distilleries. The clean, mineral style can make for some fantastic whisky and some of the old older bottlings were really well regarded. It is also the site of one of Diageo’s huge industrial maltings, so the malt is done in house too (technically).

So I’d always been on the lookout for this old CS version at 30 years old and was lucky enough to find a small bar in Chicago that had a happy hour on rare whisky! I was being shown around by Single Cask Nation’s Joshua Hatton and he also recommended this bottle.

I actually own a barrel of Glen Ord now and Having recently got a sample, I think it’s great stuff young too.

 

Glen Ord 30 58.7%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Fresh and fruity, no way I would guess that this was 30yo, freshly cut citrus peels, orange, malty, malted milk biscuit, some white chocolate, more floral as it opens up with walking through an orchard with a load of flowers in bloom, just keeps on giving and developing. Stunning nose.

Taste: Soft and unctuous, super oily and fresh, those citrus peels again, orange, lime, great fruit, incredibly structured malt and oak tannin, amazing balance, poised and structure (Joshua said austere), slight mineral component developing more and more and continuing into the finish.

Finish: Long length. Great structure again, more mineral, still oily but drying with more of the oak here but not over the top at all.

Released 2005. Undoubtedly fantastic. It doesn’t quite reach emotional levels, though the nose is up there.

89/100

 

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Review #864

Whisky Network Review #1038

Network Average: 75.2

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

 

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as the Global Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Glengoyne 30 (2017 Release) Review

Hi everyone,

Another special whisky here. Glengoyne is one of those whiskies that I always think does pretty well in Sherry. And Bourbon actually. Usually with some age on it. A little like Macallan and similar in style. But it’s usually better than Macallan. And a lot cheaper.

This is anything but cheap. In fact, it’s expensive. But we’ll keep in mind that a 30yo Macallan would be a lot more, so there’s that.

Anyway, I was very lucky to get to try this courtesy of the Swiss importer for Glengoyne, Charles Hofer SA.

Glengoyne 30 (2017) 46.8%

Colour: Dark Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Glazed cherries, Maraschino cherries, 90% dark chocolate, espresso, a tiny touch of Glengoyne heathery malt but its pretty much covered over by the intense dark sherry. Manuka honey, maple syrup, woody vanilla, beef stock cube (meaty), stewed plums. Opens up very slowly.

Taste: Soft and almost lacking power at first, grows, monolithic darkness, stewed plum and dried fig, dark chocolate, coffee grounds, silky mouthfeel. Old spice box and leathery, tobacco, dark raisin. Not really sweet, more about the dark and bitter flavours. The oak doesn't feel too much and some of the distillery character might be in there somewhere. Dark chocolate covered cherries and a bit of heather.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Dark again with more 90% dark chocolate, bitter cherry. Very soft finish.

6000 bottles, 1/3 1st fill sherry, 2/3 2nd fill. A little too bitter and dark, but it is bloody good. I get the impression that if this had just held on a little more of the abv the spirit character might have had more of a chance against the intense intense dark sherry. As it is, the complexity on this is incredible but the balance is not quite there.

Better than the 25yo though IMO, so if you loved that, definitely try and get hold of this.

83/100

 

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Review #863

Whisky Network Review #1037

Network Average: 75.2

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

 

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as the Global Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?