Glenlossie 1997 19 Year Cask Strength (Alexander Murray & Co.)

Well well well, I’m slowly making my way to the finish line for round 6’s samples of the Scotch Distillery Team. This spectacular, Speysider is from Glenlossie Distillery and was provided by my buddy @Telex. Glenlossie was founded by John Duff way back in 1876. They share warehouse space with nearby Mannochmore Distillery and are owned by Diageo. They produce 1.1 million liters per year that’s used in more than a few, undisclosed blends (likely a large component of Haig Club, but there’s no official declaration of that). Their only official distillery releases are the Flora & Fauna by Diageo and a “Manager’s Dram”. The distillery is surprisingly secretive and do not offer tours nor allow visitors. But, they make some damn fine whisky... This particular bottling is from independent bottler, Alexander Murray and is a cask strength 19 year old that was distilled in 1997. It’s very light gold in color and forms small droplets and undefined legs in the Glencairn. It’s bottled at 53.3% ABV. The nose is ridiculously strong on the alcohol notes right upon the opening pour, but given some appropriate time some light fruits like pears, peaches and watermelon (WATERMELON!) shine through and just make you want to dive right in. There’s some fresh cut oak hiding in the background and some perfumes, too. The smell alone is intoxicating. The palate is very fruity: orchard fruit, fresh orange wedges with little to no barrel notes. It’s not hot at all for being 53% and it’s crazy mouthwatering and smooth. I wouldn’t say it’s complex because it’s a big ole fruit basket with alcohol warmth rounding out the edges. The finish is quite long- I usually feel like the super fruity Speyside whiskies end up too short and too sweet, but damn this one just keeps going and going. Even the finish is fruity and warming. Some woody dryness creeps in at the very end, but it’s almost a welcome finale. So, I gotta say, this one ticks off all of the great marks for a Speysider. Juicy and fruity as hell, sneaky cask strength power (I say that meaning you can just pound this stuff and end up face down on the carpet with ease), and with a generous, long age statement of 19 years. Win-win-win! I believe Jason paid somewhere near $120 for this and I think that’s a heckuva deal for everything listed above. I think I need to locate a full bottle of this one for myself. It’s good stuff. Easily 4.25 stars, but I’m gonna round up because it’s been the best malt for this round IMO. Cheers, my friends.

Stop number 81 on the SDT is Glenlossie. Another relatively unknown Speyside distillery. This 19 year old single malt comes to us from the independent bottlers at Alexander Murray. Distilled in 1997 and bottled at cask strength of 53.3% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of golden straw. The nose is strong and sweet. Honey, honeysuckle and vanilla. Clear ex bourbon notes. Light leather and tobacco with some oaky sawdust. Perfumed with a vague fruitiness and vegetal. A bit of candle wax and a hint of cherries. Water brings out white grapes, peaches and oranges. It sounds like I was able to pick out these flavors like all of the others I have reviewed, but this was quite difficult to work out. The palate has some heat, but more than manageable. Sweet, but a bit odd. Light oak, apricots, nectarines and mango. A slight bitterness. If the nose was tough, the palate was impossible to figure out. A medium to full bodied mouthfeel that was very oily and mouthwatering. The saving grace of this dram. A medium length finish. Fruity, waxy and a touch bitter. I have to say this dram was like a pistachio that I just couldn’t pry open. I know there is deliciousness inside but damned if I know how to get it out. Water helped a little bit not enough. I can say this, at $120 it’s not worth the price. Not a bad whisky, but not that great either. I’ll give it a 3.25 and concede that it got the better of me. Thanks to @Telex for the sample. Cheers

On this Good Friday, the year of the national quarantine, 2020 a.d., I pull this from the way back machine that was provided my @Telex during our SDT. Golden straw in color. A floral and sweet beginning that draws you in. Honeysuckle blossoms on a warm spring day, honey and vanilla. There is a slight earthiness of dampened hay/straw/pinewood sawdust, leather (a new baseball glove) and fruity similar to Luxardo cherries. The first sip is surprisingly sweet and slowly turns bitter and spicy. Subsequent sips start the detect and define the flavors. Apricots, mangoes flash and then overtaken by wooden spices The finish is bitter and slightly sour with orange and lemon rinds with oak tannins that last a medium length of time. With a healthy dose of water, a softer side comes through. The nose reveals a bit of ripened Concord grape and barley sugar. The scotch is more approachable and accepting and sweet on the palate. Ripened apples, honey and grapes. The nose, palate and finish are a bit disjointed. Each is not bad on its own. But the sum of the parts is not greater than the whole. Water only improves and is recommended. The bitter finish is pulls the enjoyment factor down. The sweet qualities and strong and enjoyable. A decent dram but not something that would keep you coming back for more. [84/100][Tasted: 4/11/20]

Final few pours from round 6 of 7, this courtesy of @Telex . Never heard of Glenlossie till today...and surprisingly decent. Probably the best pour of our standard offerings in round 6. @Generously_Paul will say I’m a spoiled brat, but...I actually drank this one fully. I didn’t know what I was in for, but it was a nice surprise with twists and turns going from aromas of fresh cut oak, citrus peels, and some sort of melon...honeydew? Watermelon? WTF, that’s a surprise. It’s like spending a night with your college girlfriend and her best friend. You know you shouldn’t. Can’t possibly end well. But it’s surprisngly good. Not sure you’d want to try it again though, just might be too much of a good thing, Thanks @Telex

On the nose, I got red roses, watermelon, peaches, very faint tobacco, and some oak properties. This one needs just a couple drops of water being cask strength. The palate brought out white grapes, light cherries, pears, slight green beans, and a touch of pineapple. A very odd mix, but it does work. A little dry on the finish, but it does stay with you with a nice heavy mouth coat. It's a tough one to "turn down". As @PBMichiganWolverine might say, it's a hot chick that's there, ready to go, in the sack, but you know she's a little cray-cray. LOL... Anyway, to my thing.. the theme of the dram shall be something great, but a little "off"... 3.5! I am thinking "Sex and Candy" by Marcy Playground. Cheers!

A complex, Single Malt Scotch Whisky by Glenlossie Distillery in Speyside, Scotland bottled at 53.3% ABV by Alexander Murray out of California; comprised of 3 batches of 1997 vintage Single Malt aged for a minimum of 19 years in re-fill ex-Bourbon hogshead casks. It has an aromatic birth with notes of granola, apple, orange zest & heather; while a rich & complex life adds notes of fruits, grains, fresh herbs, wine tannins, cherry & vanilla; that led to a long & oily death. August 2020 / 2022