Glenglassaugh Evolution

Rating: 12/23 I've never tried Glenglassaugh before, but I bought a couple of bottles because I heard good things. I'm skeptical because all of their offerings seem to be young. I don't just mean 12 years: I'm worried that there might be juice as young as 3 years in them. Let's see how they are. N: A lot of youthful malt with some sort of grassy nectar. Not much is happening here. It smells young and uncomplex. P: So the palate immediately reminds me of Ainsley Brae Burgundy, which is super weird. It seems on the thin and immature side, but there isn't the same degrees of weird, thin wine flavor, nor is there the same degree of sulphur and other impurities. It tastes like they took moderately interesting mash and threw it in a barrel without being sure whether they wanted it to be there for 3 years or 12. I get some nice, fresh bourbon sweet vanilla and spices. It's sort of like how Glenfiddich 14 has that nice bold bourbon barrel funk, but this is more youthful. This doesn't taste actively bad, but it does taste very young. It's a lot better than the nose suggests. Water really brings out the complexity of the profile. Some alcohol flavor does come through, but it's clear rather than harsh and there's 50% alcohol in this, so it's more reasonable to taste it than in a 40% whisky like Aberlour 12 (though Aberlour 12 does not show its alcohol). I get some Aberlour 12 vibes in here mixed with some of that standard bourbon spiciness and sweetness with the malt, but this is surprisingly fruity. And it's still very young. I'd prefer Aberlour 12, unfortunately. Still, it's clear that the barrels used here were of pretty decent quality and the distillate was as well (probably a lot of very usable heads and tails got thrown out). This tastes very youthful, which I don't really like, but that isn't inherently bad. In that regard, it's sort of like Pure Scot Virgin Oak, but with more personality in its distillate. Rather than using bourbon barrels because they're cheap, it's clear that Glenglassaugh sourced some quality, sweet, fresh barrels. They don't have time on their side, but they''ve done what they can with what they have. Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 tastes fairly youthful - more youthful than I'd expect from a 14 year old scotch. This tastes much more youthful. There's just no way that this is even 10 years old (or at least not much of it could be that old). It doesn't taste muddled like a blend. It just tastes young. There's an odd fruitiness, to the maltiness (not quite tangerine- maybe nectartine or yellow peach?), but nothing nearly so fruity as the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14, another scotch that tastes a bit on the youthful side. I could believe that this is up to 8 years old maybe. Intuitively though, I suspect it's closer to 3. It lacks a lot of the roughness raw distillate character that most 3 year old scotch has, but that could just be the result of some clean, rich distillate with some fresh barrels. Considering that, I'm skeptical that this is over 6 years old. Initially, I guessed that it was straight-up 3 years old. It seems a bit better rounded than Wolfburn, so I might guess a little higher now though. A weird problem with this palate is that it's rougher and less complex without water. Glenglassaugh straight-up picked the wrong proof for this whisky. Something around 45% would have been better. F: The sweetness largely disappears, though some maltiness remains, along with some grassiness. Wafts of the fruit come through from time to time. - Conclusion - This is a good start, but Glenglassaugh really needs to be bottling some older product. 13 is as high as I can imagine going here. 10 is the lowest. Actually, a 10 doesn't seem to fairly account for the nice cleanliness to the flavor here. I'm looking in the 11 to 13 range. Actually, it's going to be at least a 12. It's a 12 to 13 with a slim chance of a 14. What's so tricky here is that this is uncomplex and clearly young, but the distillate and barrels are both clearly good. It's eminently drinkable and would be a great intro to scotch with a little water added. Considering how water brings out the complexity here, I'm liking this better than Pure Scot Virgin Oak. Too much water brings out a bitter graininess, but just a bit reallyenhances the complexity. The profile's mellowness reminded me a bit of Dalwhinnie 15 (16), so I tried them side by side. This just pales in comparison - and Dalwhinnie 15 is not exactly great. The complexity is not as good here and there's more harshness. The balance is a bit off as well. Where I'm at now is there's no way that this is higher than a 14, but there's also no way that it's below a 10. I think I'm in the 11 to 13 range. I kind of like the mellow complexity of super aerated Sir Edward's 12 better side by side, but it's close and I can see it going back and forth. This seems really competitive with Pure Scot Virgin Oak and I think I might prefer this for its sweetness and easy drinkability. I think that means that I overrated Pure Scot Virgin Oak when I gave it a 14, unfortunately. This has an edgier personality with more youthfulness, but it's pretty tasty. I'm going with a 12. I just gave Sir Edward's 12 a 13 and it was maybe slightly better. Unfortunately, I'm likely heading toward dropping Pure Scot Virgin Oak to an 11 or maybe 12, but I'll get to rerating that one another time. This tastes like a 12 to 13. I might up it to 13 in the future, but for now I'm going with 12. Pure Scot Virgin Oak tastes about a point below this. For its (presumable) age, this is really good. I have hopes for Glenglassaugh. Still, I wouldn't buy another bottle of what they're putting out now at the prices they're charging.

Review #068 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 50% Comments: aged 3 years, matured in ex-Tennessee whiskey casks from George Dickel distillery, 1 of 6,000 bottles Tasted after: first up Appearance (no score): Pale gold color. Swirling reveals a thick line sticking to the side of the glass, it starts to bead up quickly, but legs are slow to form. Nose: 15/20 Vanilla, crisp pears, apple skins, white bread loaf, and lemon peel, but more the rind than the zest. It’s nice, but also simplistic. Palate: 33/40 Very smooth (especially at this ABV) and nice mouthfeel. Oak tannins are the leading flavor, but they’re softer and a bit more subdued. Accompanied by vanilla, butterscotch, and the smallest hint of cinnamon. None of the flavors are bold, instead they all mingle together into something that’s subtle yet enjoyable. Finish: 32/40 Medium finish. Starts with intensifying butterscotch flavor, then transitions to burnt caramel, before becoming slightly spicy with oak tannins taking over. With Water: Adding a few drops of water didn’t have any noticeable affect. Total: 80/100 Final thoughts: I surprised myself with how fast I sipped through two sample pours of this while taking notes. It really is a lovely easy drinker, and I’m astounded by the quality for a 3 year old whisky. I’m glad they decided to bottle at 50% and not dilute it further. I’d wager that any casks from this same batch that make it to 10 years old will be something special. Price: $50 Would recommend: yes Would buy: yes Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

An amber/deep gold color. Aromas of vanilla, honey, heather, ginger, lemon custard, almond cookie, poached pear, baked apple and whispers of more tropical banana and pineapple notes. On the palate, it is buttery and unctuous with building flavors of pear and apple fruits, clove spice, and pepper. It has a pleasant weight and heft, but never burns hot. The finish returns to the barrels with ripe banana, caramel, and more vanilla. This is a poached pear on a lemon and ginger shortbread cookie with a Jack Daniel's caramel drizzle in a glass. As others have pointed out, this is definitely a whiskey that benefits from oxidation and exposure. I remember when I first opened it being deeply disappointed in the simple aromatics of cereal, vanilla, cream, and orange zest indicative of a youngish spirit in used bourbon or Tennessee whiskey barrels. However, it has developed quite a bit of nuance over a number of months. It actually performs quite well if you pour a glass in the morning before work, put a coaster over it, and enjoy it after dinner in the evening. I feel the underlying distillate is very pretty, but it just hasn't evolved much of a personality yet. It seems both comically Scotch and comically American, but also very refined at the same time. Perhaps that is the point, a lampoon of both cultures where the only one in on the joke is the distiller. It would rank fairly low in the Benriach, Glendronach, Glenglassaugh lineups for me personally, especially since there is no discount for lack of age or expensive barrel treatments.

Butterscotch blast right up front. Vanilla. Pear. Hints of cotton candy. Something floral - maybe honeysuckle and a waft of jasmine. You could nose this until your lungs gave out with only the barest hint of ethanol which is surprising at 100 proof. Not mind-blowing, but overall is whimsical, sweet and pleasant. The palate is kettle corn drizzled with salted caramel and a hint of cayenne. Vanilla. Crisp red table grape that vaguely offers some fruity essence but ends up mostly just being a juicy fructose sweetness. Apple juice (but not oxidized cider). An edge of that sweet but tangy cereal/peach/apricot youthful barley distillate that is all over many American single malts, but is incorporated into the whole competently. That floral note makes its way over too, maybe some rosewater. Sweet American whiskey notes are front and center, layered over a well-executed, well-proofed, briney distillate. Youth is notable, but doesn’t detract from the experience and in my opinion this doesn’t taste “too young”. Extremely pleasant and easy to sip despite the proof - well, perhaps because of the proof, which saves it from straying toward monotone with a little rough edge. Sugar. Butter. Salt. Fruit. Floral. You could do worse. While this may come up short of many flagship age-stated Scotches, I’ve only gotten a few for $40 that I’d prefer to this. At $50 the competition is fiercer. It seems to share more kinship with American single malt and good luck finding too many that are better. A great value at $40. You do you at $50. Pass at $60.

Rating: 13/23 Bottle kill tasting. This has had some time to oxidize, so we'll see if that changed the flavor. N: Fairly mild. Grainy and grassy with a bit of vanilla and wood. Faint sweetness. Not complex or interesting. P: This is richer, with less of an alcohol presence than Glenglassaugh Revival. It's sweeter than Pure Scot Virgin Oak. There are typical bourbony vaniila, caramel, wood, and spice flavors mixed with faint hints of cherry. It's not very complex and it tastes young, but this is far from bad. The barrel tastes fresh and makes the sweetness pop. F: A bit of spicy burn with slightly bitter vanilla and wood. There's still that sweet youthfulness and bit of grainy malt though. - Conclusion - This is a clear step up over Glenglassaugh Revival. It isn't blowing it out of the water and I'm not dying to get my hands on more of this, but I could sip a glass if someone shoved one into my hands. I like this better than I did previously, but it's still in the same ballpark. I would probably take Pure Scot Virgin Oak over this, but not by much. I'm going with a 13.

My girlfriend and I have been working our way through a bottle of Evolution that we were given at a BenRiach event earlier this year. (We were given one each, actually, though I imagine the other one will end up in a Dirty Santa gift exchange before the end of the year.) As free bottles go, it’s hard to complain. The nose belies the Tennessee casks that incubated the whisky, with rich and creamy notes of toffee and butter. The taste is spicy and creamy, with rich chocolate biscuits of the Bourbon genre and a streak of caramelized sugar. At its bottling strength of 50%, it’s best drunk in small sips to fully appreciate the concentrated flavors. Unfortunately the finish is disappointing: the alcohol overpowers the other flavor components, perhaps belying a youthful nature to this NAS spirit. Water harms more than it helps, tempering the finish but muddying the nose and palate. Evolution’s name suggests it’s a work in progress; let’s hope future batches improve under the intelligent design of master blender Rachel Barrie.