This one is very light, a pale straw or pear juice in the glass. The overarching character is light, sweet, and airy, very easy drinking and with a relatively short, quiet finish. Like a diluted mix of vanilla cream and apple juice. It's of such a delicate character that it faded to very little when smoked with a cigar, unlike other whiskies I tried at the same time (Talisker Storm, Lagavulin 16, and Nikka Whisky from the Barrel). I got several bottles of this at an incredible discount of $20 a bottle, where it felt like a great value as a mixer and gentle sipping spirit. My review is pegged to that price; I'd look elsewhere at the $40-50 price point where I see this now. At that high a price, it's a nice introduction to single grain but would only merit a 3-star rating.
About this bottle
Girvan is a single grain distillery owned by William Grant & Sons. The distillery, built in 1963, has been producing whisky ever since for their blended whiskies, but this is the first time the distillery has put out a distillery bottling. The No. 4 Apps (named after the distillery term for "apparatus") is distilled using vacuum distillation, something they have done since 1992. This is a wheat and barley mash and is aged (for an unstated time) in first fill and refill American oak.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 8 parsed reviews.
Light golden wheat-y colour. Butter cream, rich vanilla, wood and true white wine-ish aroma to the nose. It also has some distinct grain spirit aroma. Same to the tongue at the start. Creamy, mouthfilling, candied and blanket taste with a true “vodka” finish at the edge of the tongue and on the palate. Aftertaste is short and satisfying. A bit bitter on a palate. Some vanilla, wood and grain too. It seems to really diverse to single malts or blended whiskies mostly by its ultimately different grain nature which gives something of a distinctive (again somewhat a candied) vodka style. In second tasting it reveals even some steak meat tones to the nose.
Just ok for me. A light bodied creamy single grain whisky. Would be great to introduce people to whisky. I could enjoy this in the summer or maybe in a highball but doesn’t have enough depth for me to drink meat.
Не могу сказать, что в восторге, но виски очень не плох. Самое легкое, что доводилось пробовать, с отчетливым привкусом пшена. Одно могу сказать, однозерновой виски недооценивают зря.
Big vanilla, malted white chocolate, and sweet creamed butter. Delicious. Almost no peat, brine or heat. Great starter-scotch.
Similar to Nikka Coffey Grain, but more spicy. Very light colour.
2 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
