Nose: Very malty, with a little lemon and orange zest, orchard fruit, and a dash of vanilla. There's a background aroma of fresh, sweet hay. Palate: Light but well-structured. Malty-sweet arrival with a little citrus and nuttiness emerging in the development, hazelnuts and almonds especially. Malty milk chocolate, biscuits and caramel. The texture is creamy and very agreeable. Finish: Medium. The palate flows seamlessly into the finish, with an aftertaste of weak black tea and malt biscuits. A capable whisky at a reasonable price. The price point might lead some to think it is unworthy of serious consideration, but that would be a mistake. Whilst it is no powerhouse of complexity or personality, neither is it bland. This whisky is subtle, friendly, relaxed and all about malt. From the first nosing through to the final flavours, the creamy texture, sweetness, nuttiness - everything about is says "spirit-driven maltiness". I think it's generally under-rated and perfectly suitable for enjoying neat when you're in the mood for an easy, mellow dram. I'd also recommend it, alongside Glenfiddich 12, as a perfect whisky for introducing newcomers to the world of single malts. "Average" : 76/100 (2.5 stars)
About this bottle
This whisky is named after James ‘The Major’ Grant, a man who inherited the distillery in 1872 from his father and uncle who founded Glen Grant in 1840. The stills at Glen Grant are unusually tall copper pot-stills equipped with purifiers. It is the only distillery using purifiers in both wash and spirit distillations ensuring that only purest vapor is allowed to pass from the still to the condenser. This therefore creates a fresh, and light whisky, a signature of Glen Grant whiskies. The Major was the innovator fascinated by technology and it was he who introduced these stills.
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 50 parsed reviews.
This is a light coloured whisky that has no age statement. In Australia it is priced between the world of blends and the world of single malts….is it a bridge over troubled waters or a bridge too far? It comes with a pretty decent nose. In the glass you'll notice orange peel and a hint of chocolate and vanilla. Medium bodied whisky leading with fruit and some butteriness to the mouth feel there is also a touch of jam and marzipan hiding in the background. These tasting notes might make it sound like a sweet Christmas cake dram but the flavours are not super rich here. Light tannin dry spice completes the picture. The finish is not long but nothing nasty in the tail either. The smoothness is noteworthy. There is a lot to like in this especially when it’s on special. So in the end not a heavy hitter by any stretch of the imagination but a decent quaffing whisky that can entertain when drunk neat. So a solid 3 stars or 87.
picked this up as I went through Amsterdam duty free on my way to Munich. I only had a few weeks to get through it (travelling through other countries with only carry on luggage) so figured why not get something easy to drink, something I wouldn't normally buy, and, if I didn't get through it, I wouldn't care if I left it behind. Fresh fruit on the nose, dried fruit on the palette with a hint of cocoa and slight nuttiness. Finish is short with some burn. To be honest, it drinks more like a blend. A couple drops of water only intensifies the dried fruit, nothing more. I've had worse, if that's something to be happy about.
Nose is only a bit fruity, nothing further. Taste is like a cake with vanilla, cream and white chocolate. Finish is a short alcoholic zing and bit of nutty/oaky bitterness. It's not one to contemplate longly, but I'd choose this for a night of heavy drinking over pricier but comparable (for example) Glenlivet or Glenfiddich expressions.
A very smooth and unusually fruity scotch malt. In a blind tasting I could easily mistake this for an Irish. The price is decent too. This comes at 40% abv with a 5 year premise. Overall a passable malt, although it lacks originality, complexity and richness. Glen Grant is simply not as memorable as I prefer my whisky to be.
To be honest after the first tasting (however I thought I don’t like this) it didn’t let me rest. I thought there is something interesting in this whisky. And the second test justified this. This is really interesting one. I don’t want to say that it is en excellent one but each trial bring a new taste for me.
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