Last week, the Short Cellar discussed the excellent Speyside single malt Scotch distillery, Glenrothes. This week, we’ll give you tasting notes for their Ontario products:
- Glenrothes 1994 Vintage Single Malt (
$91.95[Ed. Note: 1994 no longer available], LCBO #543694)
The 1994 Vintage is slowly disappearing from the shelves of the LCBO, to be replaced by the 1998 vintage. This is a classic Speyside — Speyside being one of the major appellations of Single Malt in Scotland. Whereas the Islay region is known for its peat and smoke, Speyside produces a fruiter species of Scotch with floral aromatics. The 1994 Vintage is bright and zesty, with lots of citrus and apricot flavours. Glenrothes always creates a spicy scotch, and this is no exception: expect lots of cinnamon, nutmeg and liquorice flavours. This is a Scotch for someone who wants a balance between lightness and richness. 94/100 - Glenrothes 1998 Vintage Single Malt ($91.95, LCBO #543694)
The 1998 Vintage will arrive in Ontario in January. If you’re wondering why Glenrothes skipped four years from ’94 to ’98, the answer is that they don’t deem every year to be sufficiently good to sustain a declared vintage. In fact, only 2 percent of Glenrothes total output goes into single malts (most goes into blends like Cutty Sark), and of that top tier, an even smaller amount goes to the vintage bottles.
The 1998 has a slightly darker profile than the 1994, with candied flavours of marmalade and marshmallow. It’s still fruity and spicy, but it tastes more like figs and dates mixed with raw vanilla pod. The expensive price tag is buying you a level of integration and a creamy texture that’s just outstanding. The 1998 is my favourite; highly recommended for those who prize richness and complexity. 95/100 - Glenrothes Alba Reserve ($69.95, LCBO #139329)
The Alba Reserve is so named because it is aged entirely in American Bourbon casks made from American Oak (Quercus alba). This makes it a certified Kosher product, since Sherry barrels (which are often used in single malts) are not Kosher, but Bourbon barrels are. The American Oak gives the malt more flavours of coconut and cooked vanilla (just as it does for wine). The traces of Bourbon give it a slight sweetness like marzipan. This is a light, pre-dinner Scotch with excellent complexity, including mint, lime and berry flavours. 93/100 - Glenrothes Select Reserve Single Malt ($62.45, LCBO #57091)
The Select Reserve is a superb value. This is a multi-vintage selection from mature casks. It’s a pure expression of the fruity, creamy and spicy Glenrothes style: it has lively peach and ripe berry flavours with lots of orange zest. At the reduced price, you are not sacrificing any flavour or character. This Scotch has won the World Whisky Awards “Best in Class 2008” and the San Francisco Spirits Competition Double Gold in 2007. 94/100
Matthew Sullivan is a civil litigator in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column also appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca. Follow along on Twitter: @shortcellar.