Glenrothes Select Reserve

This eye catching bottle hails from its humble Speyside distillery in the town of Rothes. I love that they still maintain in-house cooperage and I admire their dedication to no added artificial whisky colourants.  The Glenrothes Select Reserve's nose has an even blend of apple, gentle smoke and clover honey. I can also smell subtle pear and lemon marmalade. No one note pops out, but the nose is very nicely balanced. As the dram continues to sit, the sweet jammy pear becomes more pronounced under a thin veil of smoke and creamy vanilla. This golden pour has a light and oily mouthfeel. The gentle peat from the nose is my first flavour along with plain biscuit, toasted almond and lime. Smoke and pepper intensify through the tasting and finish, like it's ascending to a climax. This is unique, since I'm more accustomed to "louder" smoke notes that diminish after their initial blast. The billows of smoke that grow through my tasting suddenly stop. It's as if a large gust of wind came along and blew it away. What remains is a long, lightly peated finish from its former flame that warms my heart. I can taste subtle sour and vanilla notes reminiscent of classic plain cheesecake. Because of its light sipping ease and unique, mischievous charm, this is one of those pours that would disappear too quickly. The described reversal of smoke feels like a coquettish 'wink and a smile' that piques my curiosity for the next sip. 8.25/10

My second Glenrothes, i also liked it and i am starting to build a good impression over this distillery. Bottled at 40%abv, with a deep copper color. On the nose very sweet, and appealing, maybe soft. Almonds, caramel, dry chocolate cake, sherry, grape juice, those sweets from formal parties, dry brown grasses and custard cream notes. Really nice. On the palate, starts with cough syrup, the some pepper and ginger, with a mild citrus or prune note, and the taste of the finish is lovely with cremé brulee, almonds and little tobacco, medium long. Overall i give this fellow a 91 over a 100. Actually pretty good.

This single malt from the heart of Speyside is easily accessible, not very complex and comes without an age statement. The nose is characterized by toffee/caramel notes, citrus fruits and engaging hints of baked plums. However, the occasional spiritiness and rather intense brown sugar sweetness might be off-putting to some. On the palate, Glenrothes Select Reserve is mildly spicy and sweet with honey, vanilla cream and ripe fruits. The finish is short, clean and slightly dry. An average everyday dram which is comparable to a better blended Scotch. RATING: 3.0/5.0 stars ≙ 80 pts → AVERAGE

Nose: Citrus zest, with a creamy vanilla tagging along, a bit of oak with cinnamon and herbal spices. I think I am getting some floral notes at the end with fresh apples. Pallet: Watery mouth feel, honey, vanilla give way to peppery spice and oak. Finish: Charred oak, a bit a grassy note like hay. Spice lingers on the cheeks but not on the tongue. Short/Medium length. I find this to be very middle of the road. The nose is pleasing and not aggressive, but the pallet and finish does not have a lot going on. This is an every day sipper.

Nose: Apple and cinnamon. Slight oak note and distant astringency. Pallet: Apple cider, caramel, oily mouth feel. Finish: Oak, cinnamon, and a slight astringency. Thoughts: This is not a complex dram, but it not bad. This is an easy sipper.

Sweet and full of flavor. The caramel and vanilla come out in the nose and flavor and the finish is simple and clean. I picked this bottle up 5 or 6 times and then put it back, kind of upset because I could have been enjoying this earlier!