Glenglassaugh
- OWNER: BROWN-FORMAN
- FOUNDED: 1875
- REGION: HIGHLANDS
- PRONUNCIATION: Glen-GLASS-awk
Glenglassaugh is located on the northeastern coast at the border of the Speyside region. A longtime supplier to blended scotches like Cutty Sark and the Famous Grouse, it shut down production in 1986, one of the many casualties of the drop in global demand during the 1970s and ’80s. In 2008 a private investment firm bought and refurbished it; five years later it sold the distillery to BenRiach, which in turn sold it to Brown-Forman in 2016, along with the BenRiach and GlenDronach distilleries. While there are a few pre-1986 expressions on the secondary market, these days Glenglassaugh is known for its three excellent, no-age-statement whiskies.
Glenglassaugh
Revival
Aged in a combination of ex–red wine and first-fill ex-bourbon casks, then married and re-barreled in sherry casks.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 46%
- NOSE Minerality, toast, carpet fibers, charcoal briquettes, and dried moss; water turns it woodsy, with a bit of campfire.
- PALATE Winey, oily, and nutty, with dry sherry, raisins, and mild pepper; there’s very little sweetness, but a certain perplexing minerality at the back. The finish reminds one of a spicy, dry white wine.
- GENERAL Lots of depth for a young whisky (though the precise age is unstated). The sherry influence is just right.
Evolution
Aged in first-fill ex–Tennessee whisky barrels, reportedly from the George Dickel distillery in Tullahoma. There’s no age statement, but it’s obviously young, probably three years old.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 50%
- NOSE Vanilla cream, banana, custard, and drawn butter; water adds notes of charcoal briquettes, fruit, and salt air.
- PALATE A thin-to-medium mouthfeel, with banana custard, vanilla, sweet malt, and a mid-palate burst of spice; water sweetens it, with notes of buttery toffee. The finish is crisp, with tropical fruit notes.
- GENERAL For a whisky with obvious youth, this is complex and bright; imagine drinking it on a cool spring afternoon, with the sun not yet set and the smell of blossoming trees in the wind.
Glenglassaugh
Torfa
The distillery’s peated, intensely smoky expression, with the initial peat at a respectable phenol level of 20 ppm.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 50%
- NOSE Sweet, strong peat, centered on a heady blend of sea air, bacon, and a vaguely medicinal note.
- PALATE Chinese-food spiciness, with honey, oak spiciness, toasted nuts, and cantaloupe; the finish blends spice and candied cherries.
- GENERAL Nicely balanced between sweet and smoke; pair it with smoked fish or Chinese food.