Glenrothes Soleo Collection 12 Year

Nosing reveals plenty of sherry cask influence. At first, there’s a dominant note of Play Dough, a musky vanilla, with cherry overtones and a doughy base. Given time to breathe, rose petals, white chocolate, honeydew melon, caramel, a hint of orange peel, a pinch of nutmeg, and a bit of sweet allspice blooms. Spice leads the palate with cinnamon stick, ginger powder, and white pepper. Sweetness follows quickly with a veritable ambrosia salad in the mouth. In addition to the typical marshmallow, mandarin orange, coconut, whipped cream, and maraschino cherry, there is also white peach, and a thin caramel syrup. The body is likewise on the thin side, though adequate. In the glass it struggles to make legs and never quite succeeds, as sheets plunge down the walls like waves receding from a beach. The finish is gentle and very pleasant. There’s plenty of soft yet spicy oak, quite low in tannins. Also, lingering heat in the form of cinnamon chewing gum, plus almonds, freeze dried apple, a suggestion of candied lemon peel, and tootsie rolls both vanilla and classic. Nose: 9 Taste: 9 Body: 7 Finish: 9

On the nose the sherry cask finish is immediately apparent. Additional notes of honey, vanilla, green apple, and white grapefruit are very noticeable with the typical brine and black pepper notes also immediate. The nose is quite complex for an 80-proof offering. Further nosing brings out bananas, ash, and smoke. On the mouth swirl, spice was immediately evident on the throat with not much flavor lingering on the tongue or nose. Further sips bring out more spice, light vanilla, and a smidge of the sherry and citrus evident in the nosing. Far more complicated a scotch on the nose than on the palate. The finish is fleeting, likely due to the low proof, but also disappointing are the flavors that are evident on the nose that do not show up at all on the palate. Overall impressions: Nosing 4/5; Tasting 1.75/5; Finish 2/5; Overall 2.25/5 Repurchase: No

N: Stewed apple and rhubarb, vanilla, sweet sherry fruits. Slight sulphurous note. P: cream, leather, hazelnuts, chocolate, herbaceous, honey and melon. Sultanas and sherry influence bring up the back end. F: short, watery melon, astringent spice. I seem to recall trying this some time ago and finding it quite pleasant. Tonight though, whilst there is lots to find and mull over there is also something very off putting. It just doesn’t sit well with me. I suspect it’s the slight sulphurous note I find on the nose. This is a shame as I think with that gone from the mix, here is a really interesting sherry cask where the sherry flavours are not the stars. Perhaps I’ll leave this open and revisit it sometime, I think it’s worth the second (or third) visit… Distiller whisky taste #62

Nose: wood and malt, light citrus especially lemon and light sherry. Palate: confirms the wood and the light sherry (I should feel more of it, given the maturation!), banana, raisins, all quite well blended. Final: short with raisins and banana and (a little) sherry. Product not unforgettable and absolutely average. Rating 3.25 ____________________________________________________________ Naso: legno e malto, leggeri agrumi soprattutto limone e leggero sherry. Palato: conferma il legno ed il leggero sherry (dovrei sentirne di più vista la maturazione!), banana, uvetta, il tutto abbastanza ben amalgamato. Finale: breve all’uvetta e banana ed al (poco) sherry. Prodotto non indimenticabile ed assolutamente nella media. Voto 3,25

This is my first Speyside, so the nose is quite a bit trickier to parse than my usual bourbons. I can pick up on notes of honey with a slight tang, reminds me of honey sticks/straws. Also getting some pear, though I seem to pick that up with anything that has even a hint of fruit, so YMMV. On tasting, the melon + cinnamon is definitely there, though I'm having trouble picking up on the vanilla. Not a particularly boisterous dram, more approachable for sure.

Nose: Vanilla, stewed orchard fruit, slightly earthy Palate: Sweet, dried fruit, nutty, oak, honey, spice (cinnamon) Finish: Medium long finish. Baking spices, stewed fruit This is a lovely, spicy sherried dram. Easy to drink and very moreish. I could drink a lot of this of an evening - in fact, I have done fairly often. A great all round sweet and fruity drinker.