Glen Grant 16 Year

This and the GG 10 are from the discontinued GG lineup. I'll be doing the 10 in time, but I've decided to start here with the 16. Let's see if Glen Grant was right to revamp their lineup or whether they should've kept this one around. Nose: Standard Speyside. Apple, pear, and apricot. It's floral. Orange citrus. Toffee, honey, and vanilla. White pepper and oak. Palate: Vanilla, caramel, honey, and toffee. Apple, pear, apricot, and orange. Walnut and almond. Some nice oak and subtle baking spices. Some plum skin and raisin. Finish: Walnut and almond. Apple, pear, apricot, and orange. Cinnamon, white pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate length. A few things here. The notes are generic Speyside through and through. The nose is painfully generic, but is at least pleasant. The palate is a nice step up and does a nice job of embodying the Speyside spirit and reflecting its respectable age statement. The finish is about what you'd expect of a 43% ABV Speyside whisky. Now to answer the big question. I've only had 2 Glen Grant expressions, and they're both discontinued. Without having tried the current lineup, I can't say that they were right or wrong to discontinue this. What I will say is that the only remarkable thing about this bottle is that I've only ever seen one. This one. I bought it so that I could try it because I knew I'd never have another opportunity. And while I don't regret the purchase by any means, I hope Glen Grant has done better with their new lineup. 3.25/5.

The kind of bottle that you buy, savour, love, and then promptly forget about entirely and never re-purchase. An archetypal Speyside whisky, the Glen Grant 16 is all fruit and floral on the nose: fresh apples, red and green, and fresh pears (the bottle's tasting notes don't lie about the intense orchard fruits), but also baking apples and candied apples—caramel-covered dessert treats. Fruit-juice candies. Vanilla. Restrained oak. Cinnamon? Grassy. Fresh flowers. Body is quite light, edging toward watery, and the taste is really just a more restrained repetition of the nose. Throw in some beeswax for good measure. Short, dry finish with a bit of unexpected herbal nuttiness (given the fruits dominating everything else). A great summer whisky, and a really enjoyable flavour profile. But a bit pricey for what you're getting, and a flavour profile that other distilleries do even better (Glenfiddich 15 Distillery Edition comes to mind).

This one, sadly, is also on its way out, though word on the street is that there may be an analogous new release to this one coming out in 2017. We can hope. This one sees more sherry influence than other Glen Grant malts, and it shows - those dried fruit almond/marzipan notes show up on the nose, along with some mango and tropical notes. Palate-wise, this one is rich - creme brulee, marzipan, a bit of white pepper and maltiness with a drop of water. It's an interesting, different spin on the usual Glen Grant style.

Nose: Dense, sweet, pear-scented essential oil. Palate: SYRUPY, almost too much so. Bushels and bushels of fresh, juicy pears sliced open and generously doused with honey. Finish: Syrupy honey lingers past the fruit. Final Thoughts: Outstanding! Another KILLER Speysider, but very different orchardiness to it with more pear, lemon, and green apple.

Intense fruit, honey and malt on the nose. Complex and intense fruit on the palate with a hint of licorice. Gentle heat and luscious oily mouth feel. The age serves this one well. Although I do appreciate the 12 yo at $50, this is a fine step up at $78. A lovely Speysider that should be ranked 89-90 instead of 85 here.

Even worse this time around. Been drinkin lots of mezcal this month. The viscosity is good but flavor is shit. Bread n spirity notes overpower the weak vanilla butterscotch. Shit