Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve

Before tasting this one, i said this phrase "i haven't had a bad Glenrothes to this date". Well... i jinxed it. Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve is a expression from this very good distillery, which explores certain peatiness. I was really interested in this one, i kept it in my bar for a long time, and i have now tried it. Here are my thoughts about it: Bottled at 40%abv, pale straw color. On the nose, mostly tropical. As soon as you uncork it, you get this remedy note, white wine. Sawdust, old pears and pineapple. Hay. After a sip, it released pineapple from a pizza, the hated, burnt one. Green apples. In the palate, it is way too watery. Sawdust water, a dim vanilla and slight pepper. Very thin and dim. Aftertaste is the best part, but nowhere near of something memorable. A burnt log, pepper, slight sulphuric and salt. New wood, and a piece of grassy meat that has been barbecued. Overall, this whisky is in debt. It destroyed the whole picture i had about this distillery; the palate is NOTHING. The nose is very forgettable. Aftertaste saves the day a little but it doesn't manage to get a good a score. 68 over 100. Move along.

I have been curious about this malt, but in my area it goes for $70-80---just not that curious to go in blind. Then I found a Minnesota online shipper selling it for $25; then, on New Year's Day they had one day free shipping special. Who of weak will could resist that? Pouring neat it is a light straw color. Nose is sweet, citrus/floral, with a whiff of peat. On the tongue these are all evident. Mouthfeel is light, typical of malts from tall stills such as those of Glenrothes and Glenmorangie. In fact, except for the peat, this reminds me of Glenmorangie 10. Coming from the former Islay casks used to age this malt, the peat is not a peat-bomb, but is a nice smoky accent. I prefer this at cool to room temperature to allow all the floral esters to be available. Chilled in the frig it is much less complex and the peat rules more on the tongue. I am enjoying this very much. I appreciate that some distillers such as Glenrothes and Spey do a longer, slower fermentation to allow their yeasts to develop those floral notes.

My review might be skewed, because it sounds like I got hell of deal on this. This is a fine scotch though for someone who wants to dip their toes into the peat realm. The peat is there but it's not overpowering, and it's also not medicinal. It's smoky enough to give it some character. Also has the classic sherried speyside notes, so it it remains ever so sweet. I get more of a cedar wood. I'm not picking up the mint notes other have indicated. Overall, I think this is a great speyside, and I might have to pick up another bottle for $25.

Nose: A nice fruitiness and toffee come to mind as soon as you smell it. Some honey develops as you let it open more. Palate: Sweet wood smoke is balanced by notes of gingerbread and Mexican dark chocolate. Finish: a lot of toasted nuts and the bitterness of the dark chocolate combined with orange peel.

A pleasant nose, lightly peated with peppermint notes - you can tell the peat is only coming from the casks and not the distilling process. The palate has no salt or smoke, with toasted barley, wood spices, and brown sugar notes. I kinda like it.

Light peat smoke and fresh mint on the nose. Medium bodied, with toffee, lemon rind, nutmeg, and black pepper on the palate. Medium length finish. Despite its complexity, the combination of flavours in this whisky were a little weird for me.