Glenrothes Soleo Collection Whisky Maker's Cut

This nose has some harsh alcohol, but it also has some nice hints of citrus and cherry. The palate is sweet and fairly full with some nice sea spray backing. It has that nice high-proof warmth and sweetness. The sweetness, sea spray, and wood here are very nicely presented. This is different from but also better than Glenfiddich 15 Solera Reserve. It's a very enjoyable sipper. There's some really nice butterscotch going on here. The spice relative to the Longmore 15 gives it a bit of a kick, but it's a nice one. This isn't an excessively sweet drink but it has some nice sweetness to it and a lot of elements going on. If say it's better than the Longmorn 15 but a clear margin. There's some nice wood in here that reminds me a bit of Glenfarclas with its dryness and assertiveness. There's also some nice mild red fruit. There's a lot going on and all of the flavors are quite good. I think I'll need to try this again because it's really good. The balance is fantastic and the minerals don't overwhelm. There's tones of complexity and it's very enjoyable to sip. What a great drink. This is substantially stronger than Strathisla 12 (Chieftain's) in a nice Glenfarclas way. It's a great drink. There are a lot of flavors in here that pronounce "scotch!". There is a nice balance that gives several elements their chance to shine. It's a bit rough compared with Macallan 15 in terms of integration, but the flavor is very good and the finish is nice. There is vanilla, sea spray, fresh apple, a little strawberry, some richness from the barrel, and an appropriate amount of sweetness. The hint of smoke is just enough to add some scotch depth here. There are some issues with the integration and the bitterness that hangs out there, but there is enough flavor and complexity to make this a great scotch. Following the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14, the nose has more seaside presence and might be a tad less sweet, but it's also a bit less smoky. The palate is a harsher with a spicier bite. There's more of a sugar syrup flavor - or rather, there's less strawberry in the syrup flavor. There's a fair amount swirling around here, though I wouldn't say that there is more than in the Quinta Ruban 14. Additionally, the lack of additional flavor in the syrup stand out more. There's still some smoke and vanilla and salt. It still has some nice umami. I'm not sure whether it's better than Springbank 10 though. It has a terrific base to its flavor, but it's a bit light. It's a bit better than Oban 14 in how it avoids sickly sweetness, though it is still sweet. Despite being a bit on the light side, the balance is quite good. This is a very well executed scotch that could use some more oomph. The spiciness is essential in counterbalancing the sweetness.

N: Initial hit of orange with a background of soft oaky malt that bleeds wonderfully to a jammy sherried fruitiness. There is a gentle touch of old leather and some oiliness. Maybe bitter cocoa and vanilla too. This is busy stuff for me, but its not confused, everything works together. P: A wave of oak drives brown sugar, dark fruits and dark chocolate across the palate. The second approach reveals vanilla, toffee, milk chocolate, and a hint of vanilla. Third time in and the peppery ginger prickle build a little. This feels luxuriant and velvety with a great mouth coating feel. F: Long. Ginger and pepper ultimately fade into more of a chilli burn for me which isn’t ideal. But before I get to the heat I find more chocolate, some drying oak and some mulled wine spiced orange peel. There is something of a juxtaposition here for me. The liquid seems simple and straight forward, but at the same time, lovely complexity and lots to discover. Almost like playing a first person shooter game with and invincibility cheat turned on. I found I could walk through this no problem and enjoy it fully with no effort needed. Is that the mark of a good whisky? I was very hesitant coming into this generous sample sent by the great @cascode My only experience with Glenrothes previously was the 12YO. In the 12YO I found an off-putting sulphurous nose that made me really struggle enjoy it. I didn’t find that here. This pour was crisp, clean, and refreshing. The extra kick of ABV points to a hair under 49 really help deliver some oomph and vibrancy. I’m reminded of the Aberlour A’bunadh which I recall (from my limited notes on here) as being a slightly more spiced (clove, cinnamon) peer of this Glenrothes. To be honest the Glenrothes is better and $30 cheaper to me. And even though the A’bunadh packs a walloping 62% the Glenrothes feels more accessible and easier to enjoy. (Pictured here with a piece of Serpentine (ex. forsterite) marble. This marble formed ~445–420 million years ago from the 510-470 Ma Durness Limestone after contact metamorphism from intrusive bodies of the Grampian or Scandian orogenies. This rock is from Ledmore Quarry in Lairg, Scotland. About 120 miles away from the Glenrothes distillery this is as close as I could get). Distiller whisky taste #95

Nose: Oloroso sherry from the very first sniff. This is an unapologetically sherry-forward nose and it's a good one. Orange, tangerine, mandarin, clove, sultanas, walnuts, dead leaves and a little nutmeg. Luscious and above all, clean. Palate: Demi-sec arrival, again featuring oloroso sherry. The development brings creamy vanilla, butterscotch brioche, demerara sugar, dark fruits, mocha coffee, red berries, spices (pepper, ginger), leather and tobacco.The oak background is clean and the texture is full, engaging and velvety. Finish: Medium/long. Fruity, orange zest, gentle spice notes and chocolate linger into a sherry-tinged, oak sunset. A good young sherry-matured whisky. I often have a problem with Glenrothes as the distillate can seem rough and hard, but this particular example has balance and is above all clean. Sparkling, pristine whistle-clean. The worst thing you could say about this whisky is that it lacks the complexity of older and more nuanced expressions, but for me it more than makes up for any such shortcomings by virtue of its almost disarmingly clean character and blissful lack of sulphur - what a relief! Not long ago I tasted the Berry Bros. & Rudd Sherry Cask Matured Blended whisky, and that unfortunately was an exemplar of what not to do. It was an old-school, tired, sulphurous sherry beast that summed up a certain style of whisky that is now fortunately almost extinct. This, however, is everything that that expression was not. It's clean, energetic and flavourful, and although obviously young it is not callow or undeveloped. For the money, it is recommended, particularly if you are a fan of sherry-intense finishes. Personally, I'm not usually part of that crew, but in this case I'll make an exception. I tasted this from a bottle I bought a little while ago and I liked it so much I immediately placed an order for another bottle to put into the stash. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

I have yet to try a bad Glenrothes. And this one is even a greater statement for me, since i am not a speyside fan. This expression, is part of the Soleo collection, which is one that is known for the dehydrated fruits flavors and profile, due to the "soleo" technique to dry raisins to make sherry. Having said that, this "Maker's cut" is matured only in first fill sherry seasoned oak casks. Bottled at 48.8%abv with a beautiful copper color. On the nose: the aroma is wonderful, breathtaking. Lemon, cinnamon, blackberry jam, hazelnut, blueberries, tobacco, chocolate, vinegar, BUBBLETAP GUM. Very nice stuff. After taking a first sip, it also revealed coffee and toffee. On the palate, it is a nice dram. Waffer with chocolate, toffe and pepper. Second sip was bold, Red fruits, cinnamon and chilli. It also feels like a bourbon barrel that has been varnished in sherry. Amaretto and oak spice. Aftertaste is almost perfect. Grapes, very winey. An oak burn, but pleasant, dark chocolate, prunes, tobacco with a late bitterness. Oranges, macadamia nuts and cough syrup. Overall, this is a very well crafted whisky. I loved it. It feels fancy, but unlike other really elegant drams, this one is very complex and interesting. The palate is good but not as good as the nose and aftertaste. My score for it is a deserved 93 over 100, i would definitively buy it again.

Another "90" eh? Nose is vanilla and sweet sherry. There's a bitter oak note here as well, a bit off putting and giving me lingering feelings of young raw whisky. I even get what could be a hair of banana. Taste - Citrus fruit, creamy milk chocolate, some dark fruits, spices, and young oak on the back end. Overall this is a pretty run of the mill NAS sherry whisky. I think the casks are decent. The ABV is a really nice place where I think most will be able to go right in drinking but adding water is perfectly acceptable as well. Yes it's a bit sparky and young, but it's 75 bucks and I think it's hitting a sweet spot between the spice and sweet notes. 2 stars, very average whisky. I think those who enjoy younger whisky will find this more like a 3 star and the price while I would still say it is a bit high it's getting hard to be critical of a bottle at an ok proof, with sherry casks, under 100 bucks today.

Had px as reference spirit then tried this for second time. Decent sherry matured single malt, like macallan 12, bunnahabhain 12, glendronach 12, perhaps even less malty than those. But not a stand out in any respect. I would be interested in a cask strength or more aged sherry offering from this distillery. But I haven’t tried anything yet from these guys that particularly good. The bourbon matured stuff is mediocre at best, even at 22 yrs of age