Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 56.5%
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon hogshead refill
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Whisky Facile
Price: € 73.00 su Whisky Facile
Official website: Whisky Facile
Vote: 87/100
This is the second bottling made to celebrate the tenth anniversary of a historic blog, from which many of us (myself included) have drawn inspiration or simply confronted themselves during our personal journey as whisky lovers.
It’s a Glen Elgin, a distillery part of the immense portfolio of the colossus Diageo and one of those that, unfortunately, produces very few of its own bottlings, concentrating on just the 12yo after having until recently also the 16, 20 and 32yo. There are, however, several independent bottlings.
Founded in 1898, it was the last to arrive into the Speyside in the wake of the Scotch whisky boom, so much so that it took over fifty years before another one was created, namely Tormore in 1958.
Production was never particularly sustained, with several changes of hands from the early years of activity, until in the 1930s it was acquired first by DCL and then by White Horse, who used their whisky in their blends.
In 1964 the entire facility was rebuilt from scratch, increasing the number of stills from two to six, while maintaining a relatively artisan approach to production.
The White Horse logo can still be found on its label.
A distillate from April 1, 2008, which spent its twelve years of ageing in a single ex-Bourbon second-fill cask, ending upin 180 cask strength bottles in November 2020.
The guys at Whisky Facile had the indispensable assistance of Andrea Giannone and Giuseppe Gervasio Dolci of the Milano Whisky Festival in choosing the cask, here you find the story as they told it.
Tasting notes
Fresh and crisp on the nose, with a substantial contribution of tropical fruit alongside unripe banana, pear, peach, almond, refreshing citrus (grapefruit, lime). There is also a sweeter aspect, of honey and sugar paste, with an underlying mineral impression, at times of paraffin oil. The alcohol on the palate is important but not forthcoming. Summery.
On the palate it’s dry and mellow, again without revealing its strength, rediscovering an almost mentholated and balsamic aspect alongside fruit (always yellow with a tropical touch), apple pie, almonds, yellow citrus, slight waxy note.
The finish is moderately long and dry, reiterating the herbaceous and citrus theme with the sweet component muted.
Amazing alcoholic balance (read: you don’t feel the alcohol content at all), in a solid and very drinkable whisky, without excesses and smears, you could call it “classic” in the best sense of the word.