Glen Garioch Founder's Reserve

In my trip to Scotland one of the gems i found was Glen Garioch. Never had one of their whiskies before and now, after 3 expressions, i believe they have become a trending topic in my mind when thinking of a having a dram. First of all, a little background here: you don't pronounce Glen "GARY-OCK", it is pronounced "GLEN GEERIE". Having said that, this distillery has a lot of history: it was founded in 1797, by the Mason Family who lost the distillery and re-bought it several times; one of the Mason brothers discovered that Malaria was spread by mosquitoes, and during world war ii the british soldiers slept in the premises using it as a military base. Also this was the first distillery to use gas to heat up the copper stills. Well, lets talk about this expression, the 1797 founders reserve, which i believe is a rather new whisky, but it has a lot of flavor and it is very enjoyable, specially for a NAS. Bottled at 48%abv, tawny color. On the nose: Red fruits, Strawberry, Tobacco. Very Winey. Grape juice delicious aroma. Caramel. On the palate: Caramel, Grapes, Raisins, Oak spice. Nice balance between the vanilla flavors and the dehydrated fruits. Chocolate. Aftertaste is great also.Vanilla and tobacco leaf. Oak spice. Some Herbal notes. Clove. Very enjoyable. Overall for $45, this is a great whisky. Would recommend it easily. 88 over 100, balance is the keyword here. Sláinte!

Nose: Rich butterscotch, effervescent green apples, green apple jolly ranchers, rose petals and jasmine floral notes, light heather, honeyed malt, a slight touch of peat, freshly dried herbs (oregano, mint, thyme), coriander, strawberry and apple jam, dark chocolate, ginger, walnuts/nuttiness, slight old oakiness, sparkling nectarine and plum nectar, a touch of toffee, buttercream, guava juice, chocolate and peanut butter covered pretzels, faux leather, trail mix and cereal with dried strawberries, chocolatey bog saltiness, spicy leather, candied pineapple, old furniture, sweet and sour pickled lemon peel steeped in sweet cream Palate: spicy plums, effervescent green apples, dried berries and fruit (dried cranberries and raisins), plums with cumin, creamy malt, nutmeg and mace, mixed apple skins, apricots, pear and heathery smoke, a touch of butterscotch and old caramel, some oak tannins and spice, honeydew, white pepper, peaches, ripe Anjou pear Finish: medium dark chocolate malt powder, mixed apple skins, toffee apples, oregano and thyme, smoky malt, Candied lemon rind and candied lime peel, sweet fruity oak tannins, plum marmalade

This is very interesting whisky. And it starts with nose. It reminds me a slivovice - "plum brandy", or plum/pear brandy mix. The fruity sour alcoholic odour, reminding the fruit in fermentation process. And in contrast of that, the sip is very smooth, velvety, sweet, little bit sour reminding more a very very smooth bourbon than a whisky. It's like nice bar of milk chocolate (heavier on milk side). It gives very gentle and intimate feel, for your quiet time when you don't wanted to be "seduced" by the drink. When you wanted a silent company to your contemplation, watching good movie, reading a good book, listening to some good music. I can imagine drink one too many drams of this in good discussing company, because it's smooth and not intrusive but tasty so you would never leave the glass empty. Yes, it lacks character, complexity. But I don't event want to all my whiskies to be bold and complex. I need a spectrum, so I may pick a proper dram to proper occasion and mood. And this is the bottle I need on the portfolio. And the price is very good.

- Lançamento em 2010 - 48% ABV - Sem filtragem - Com corante - Single malt de entrada - Highlands - Ex-bourbon e ex-sherry - Garrafa de 1 litro Olfato: malte, frutado de frutas vermelhas, morangos, maçãs, caramelo, adocicado, chocolate ao leite e amargo, floral, levemente amanteigado, amendoado, amadeirado, toffee, cereais tostados, abacaxi em calda e álcool bem inserido. Aroma rico e complexo. Paladar: doce, apimentado, frutado, morango, maçãs, cítrico de abacaxi em caldas, cereais tostados, malte, morangos, geleia de morango, adocicado, amargor interessante mas não intenso, amadeirado, chocolate amargo e calor do álcool mais pronunciado. Excelente correspondência entre olfato e paladar. Finalização: curta, com predominância do dulçor, amargor, amadeirado e calor do álcool. Impressões gerais: bom custo benefício com notas que lembram o Glen Garioch 12, entretanto com mais jovialidade e menos intensidade nas notas. Recomendo para degustação pura ou com gelo.

Glen 'Geery' 1797 Founder's Reserve, from the eastern Scottish Highlands. Is a NAS, non-chill filtered 48% ABV singe malt! This was my first dram from the eastern Highlands and seeing this is their entry-level dram I thought it be appropriate. I had this decantered before tasting. The nose was rather sweet, with fresh fruits of green apple, some mellow honey and a touch of raisins. On the palate it was rather fruity still but with a lot more pepper and spices, rather harsh on the feel. Which I've come to expect from entry-level NAS. The fruitiness did not join on the finish, but instead offered a fair amount of smoke, some leather, plenty of spices and malt, rounded off by dark chocolate. Rather harsh still. Overall I've quite enjoyed this dram for what it is and I just had to pick the right moment for it. Which goes for most drams really. A casual sipper with some kick to it. Instagram: Mr.LJWhisky

(Vita Dulcis Advent Calendar 3/24) Nose: feels like a solid Highland whisky with some buttery florals and rich honey, smooth citrusy fruitiness with a distinct sweetness, has a bid of a sharp bite on the nose but that feels right in place, it is smooth and nice, not overly intense but more fresh and quite crisp Palate: quite hot with a rough attack at first, after a while it presents itself with lemon juice and soft chocolate, then it becomes increasingly nutty and ends off smooth like soft nougat-hazelnut-creme Finish: short and not very impressive, but again smooth and creamy The nose gets better later with fresh malt and dry grains. Verdict: it is a nice enjoyable whisky, nothing mind blowing and feels quite young but it doesnt really have any negative aspects except for the sharpness