15/02/2024 Glen Grant

Glen Grant 32yo 1976/2009 (50%, Douglas Laing The Old Malt Cask 50°, Sherry Cask, C#DL REF 5034, 266b): nose: the colour is a dead giveaway for things to come, of course: it is a strong Sherry maturation, naturally. A selection of nuts (walnuts, whole almonds, Brazil nuts, macadamias, pecans), leather coats, and dried fruits (dates, figs, dark raisins). It gives some shoe polish too, which goes well with the leather coats, and hair lacquer. Beside that, we see drinks cabinets and mainstream Cognac. By that, I mean it is not ridiculously fruity as some of the niche bottlings can be that we sometimes enjoy on this blog. It is not a VT65, in other words; closer to Courvoisier VSOP, if that makes sense. All that is well refined and enticing, despite an unexpected note of humid dishwashing sponge, in the distance. Must be the shiny drinks cabinets, yet one would struggle to associate it with furniture wax. The second nose oscillates between sweet and earthy: it adds decaying dark wood in a forest clearing, and mushroom-cooking water at room temperature. Later on, hints of milk chocolate show up -- or cocoa butter, in fact. Mouth: mellow, yet drying, this blends raisins and nuts with remarkable ease. It has some (brown) shoe polish too, and a spoonful of coffee grounds. That immediately adds the earthy side that the nose did not have at first. The second sip is even earthier and darker, introducing nigella seeds and toasted aniseed, without losing sight of the raisins. Prunes also are much clearer, now, augmented with minty toothpaste. Huh!? Yes, it is almost tarry, at this point. Each sip seems spicier and more intense than the previous, amusingly enough. It would probably turn sickly, after drinking half a bottle -- ha! ha! Finish: lovely. Coffee is perhaps more pronounced here than ever, though it is not a coffee-stained dram at all; it merely has notes of that. We spot currants and raisins so dry they are crackly, almost crunchy (the stems too), a pinch of ground cloves, earthy dried dates, prune-juice residue in an empty tin the following morning, and even old-school Semois pipe tobacco. The second gulp appears woodier. Splintering lacquered wood that suggests a double-bass player smashing his instrument after an intense performance. Regardless of that, what dominates in the long run are prunes and raisins sipping flat cola. The backing vocals, however, are supplied by lacquered wood and dark-honey-glazed coffee grounds. Mellow, sweet and drying, still. Yum! 8/10