Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve

I recently purchased a bottle of this for those days I feel like drinking something that’s not overly complex and easy to drink in larger amounts. I’ve had a few different samples from Glenrothes, but never an entire bottle. This was found locally for $40 and remembering that this stuff is generally easy drinking, I opted for the purchase. This particular bottle is bottled at 40%, has color added and is chill-filtered. It’s a deep gold with a slight red hue, while appearing very oily and making lots of legs and droplets around the rim. The nose is typical Speyside sherry with red berries constantly present. It’s slightly muted on the nose and palate, with some sawdust notes creeping in if you let it sit awhile. There’s no real barrel notes to be found. The palate is again, primarily, berries and a smooth malty characteristic. It’s overly watery with some bitter oak filtering in later on the back end. The oiliness disappears as well and it turns a little dry. The finish is short and all the flavor washes away a bit too easily for my liking, but there’s a slight warmth that stays behind. Overall, there are bits that seem artificial, but the entire profile is true to most sherry cask whisky styles. If anything, it needs a boost in ABV and maybe some more cask presence, but then that would probably increase the cost and open this up to more scrutiny. As it is, just 2.75-3 stars is all I feel like it warrants. It makes for an easy drinker for those days you just want to sit around and sip on something sweet while catching an afternoon buzz. There’s nothing wrong with that. Cheers, my friends.

Nose - Mix of dried & fresh stone fruits, caramel, strawberry jam. Taste - Fairly thin mouthfeel, strawberry jelly, hint of milk chocolate, caramel, raisin, orange zest. Finish - Light cinnamon heat, watered down strawberry jelly, light caramel. Score - 72/100 Final Thoughts - Mixed feelings about this, nose seemed pretty plain, didn't have that dark musty stone fruit odor of an older aged sherried Scotch but had more vibrant & fresh aromas. Seemed fairly thin, mostly on the sweet side. Not much different on the palate except it seemed a bit more muted than the nose and then very quickly disappears on the finish. Nothing really offensive about this one, but it's just a little boring for a sherry finish. Not great, not bad, but not memorable. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

A sherry cask that is not a sherry bomb. Simple, sweet, and deliciously fruity as you can expect from Glenrothes. Its a shame they blew up their core lineup. Interestingly enough they seemed to revist the Sherry Bomb decision with Makers Cut. On the nose this greets with orange and ginger. After letting my glass breathe, sherry comes over with grapes and sime nutmeg. On the palate, orange zest hits first with ginger following.Faint vanilla and oak after. The mouthful is oily, light and sweet. The finish is short and subtle, sweet orange zest hold on for a few moments. After some time candy cane and orange slices are left. It’s a shame this is no longer in production. I picked this up in the Caribbean and wish i grabbed more than one. Its a delicate offering that is not overly complex with unique fruity offerings.

COLOR/ Honey AROMA/ Sweet, Wood, Caramel, Citrus, Honey, Slight Vanilla, Spice. FIRST SIP/ Smooth, Citrus, Slight Sherry, Wood TASTE/ Slight Honey, Wood, Sweet Woodiness FINISH/ Slight Alcohol Warming, Wood, Oils, Unknown Off flavor MT GLASS/ Strong Caramel, Vanilla, Brown Sugar! Slight Wood 40 proof This is part of a 2015 Three Bottle Reserve release collection. 2/3 (Personally least liked of the 3) This is a fair beverage however there is another underlying flavor that doesn't mix well with the other flavors. If this beverage was like that of the empty glass (Caramel, Vanilla, Brown Sugar) it would be if the charts. Be Kind, Be Generous, Be Real, Be Responsible!!! CH33RS

I HAVE HAD A WONDERFUL WHISKY NIGHT, i am in Buenos Aires, Argentina in Whisky live, the most important (and only ever) whisky tasting event in south america. I have tasted 16 whiskies tonight, some of them really amazing. Glenrothes is a great distillery. Definitively my favorite speysider after Glenfiddich, and this dram was not a dissapointment. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose, LOTS OF SHERRY. Blackberry Marmalade, and wedding cake. Great aroma. On the palate, very smooth, a pleasant oakyness, very creamy with a bitter ending. Finish was quite lovely. Overall i give this dram a solid 88 over 100. Cheers!

Better than average. Low ABV and smooth. My Rating Glossary: Two Stars: "I'd rather be drinking lite beer." Two 1/2 Stars: "Posh rubbish." Three Stars: "I love whisk(e)y. This is average love." Three 1/2 Stars: "May buy again." Four Stars: "I've got to get you into my life." Four 1/2 Stars: "Better than drugs." Five Stars: "Life is good. Whisky makes it better."