24/07/2021 Glen Garioch

First dram after this year's second heatwave.

Glen Garioch 25yo 1986/2011 (50%, Douglas Laing The Old Malt Cask 50°, Hogshead, C#DL7866174b): nose: it feels perfect for this grey-yet-sticky day, with a slightly spirit-y nose that becomes earthy before the ink is dry. Hazelnuts at various stages of ripeness, shoe polish, mud, drying in crusty cakes. This nose has something else too; maybe dark fruits? Not so dark, in fact: apricot liqueur, red apricots, augmented by a gently marzipan-y note. In pure Glen Garioch fashion, this also has something more vegetal, without ever becoming leafy; I reckon some kind of bush, recently felled. It is almost a honeysuckle bush, felled in the midst of its blooming: all of a sudden, the flowery perfume vanishes, replaced by sappy branches. In any case, it is very enticing, even if it leaves the back of the nose a bit stripped. The second nose adds a strange, warm-red-ink note for extra entertainment. Mouth: melted candlewax from daffodil-scented candles, and hot honey, as well as a sweet-yet-powerful touch of spice (stem ginger). Perhaps this has some resin too, but it is mostly as above: candlewax and stem ginger. The second sip welcomes purple sweets, somewhere between cough lozenges and violets. As it settles on the palate, bathing the tongue, the taste buds are treated to a drop of shampoo (delicate hair). It is not over the top, though it will stop me drinking a lot of this. Finish: I can easily imagine the French calling this soapy, but, for me, it is successful. The stem ginger strikes again, the honey coats the palate, and the melted candlewax cranks up the heat. The cut bushes turn up the bitterness a notch or two, and that would be enjoyable enough, but it is further elevated by an evanescent aftertaste of violet boiled sweets. If one does not care for that, it is likely subtle enough to not be bothersome. I like it myself. Repeated sipping ends up putting the spotlight on that violet-y side, probably enough for some to call this "flawed," yet I rest my case: it does remain pleasant to me, even bringing back the mud in the aftertaste, over time. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, PS)