Five from Glasgow 1770 Distillery
I must admit to having a bit of a soft spot for the Glasgow 1770 Distillery. Having enjoyed quite a few of their expressions over the last years I jumped at the chance to join a Tweet Tasting with five from their current range. Unusually, these were all above 50% abv with a couple at Cask Strength thrown in for good measure.
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Glasgow 1770 Cognac Cask Finish - 52%
Appearance: Pale gold, forms a thin line which beads before slowly falling as thin, oily legs.
Nose: Soft citrus, fresh orchard fruit, vanilla and a hint of menthol.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, poached orchard fruit with crème anglaise, runny honey, and a touch of black pepper warmth. Water tones down the heat and brings out more orchard fruit notes.
Finish: Oak spice and astringency come to the fore, together with more of the black pepper heat.
Overall. A decent dram, for me it needs a little water to bring out the best of its character.
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Glasgow 1770 The Original - 61.3%
Appearance: Amber gold, forms a thin line which beads before gradually falling as thin, oily legs.
Nose: Green apples, tinned pineapple, orange peel, almond brittle and aniseed.
Palate: An initial alcohol prickle followed by Battenberg cake held together with a Seville orange marmalade, red apples, cinder toffee, woody oak, black liquorice and peppery warmth. With a few drops of water, more of the Seville orange marmalade and a hint of candied Angelica appear.
Finish: Wood spice, astringent oak, candied orange peel, and more of the mildly bitter candied Angelica.
Overall: Enjoyable, well balanced and a nice level of complexity to it. There’s a touch of astringency and bitterness to the finish but nothing unpleasant.
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Glasgow 1770 Golden Beer Cask Finish - 58%
Appearance: Burnished gold, forms a thin line which beads before falling as slow, thin legs.
Nose: Dried hops, dried fruit and a hint of ginger. With time a little maltiness comes through.
Palate: Candied orange peel, dried fruits, and a hoppy beer note which gradually builds along with the warmth of crystallised ginger.
Finish: Medium in length, malty beer and dried fruit with a helping of ginger.
Overall: Lovely, rich, deep and complex. Last year’s edition was good, this feels like there is a little more depth.
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Glasgow 1770 Peated Cask Strength - 60.8%
Appearance: Copper gold, forms a thin line which beads before falling as slow, thin legs.
Nose: Sweet smoke, barbecued pork, honey, orange zest and soft fruits.
Palate: Octomore BBQ sauce, barbecued honey glazed pork, soft brown sugar, stewed dark fruits, dark chocolate enrobed orange peel. With water more smoke appears at the expense of some of the chocolate note.
Finish: Sweet smoke interlaced with brown sugar, blackberry pie filling, chocolate, ginger and mildly drying oak.
Overall: For a young whisky there is so much going on here. The peat brings another welcome layer of complexity and enhances rather than overpowers.
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Glasgow 1770 Peated Tokaji Cask finish - 53.4%
Appearance: Copper gold, forms a thin line which beads before falling as slow, thin legs.
Nose: Aromatic fruit wood smoke, nectarines and honey.
Palate: Sweet smoke meets candied peel, tropical fruit, ripe nectarines and honey. A little water brings out mild oakiness.
Finish: The fruit notes slowly die away to leave soft, sweet smoke and astringent oak.
Overall: Lovely, rich, deep and complex. Very unusual but great balance between the fruit and smoke makes it a very harmonious marriage.
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Summary: Glasgow Distillery unashamedly bottle their whisky at the lower end of the age spectrum, that’s their model and it certainly seems to be one that works for them. In a market that has always looked at age being an important factor, the whisky they produce has to be good quality, sensibly priced and offer something that makes it stand out.
Their peated expressions tend to be the ones I gravitate towards, and it’s very much the case on this tasting too. More often than not, peat smoke seems to have a positive effect on a young whisky, softening some of the rougher edges of the spirit and adding more depth at the same time.
I found it difficult to pick a favourite between the two peated expressions, although in reality I would gladly accept a dram of any of the bottles we tried.
If you would like more information on any of these whiskies, or the Glasgow Distillery, follow the link to the company website.
Transparency: this sample pack was received free of charge for independent review. The author has no affiliation with the distillery, all opinions are my own and remain completely impartial.
