Origin: Speyside (Scozia)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 56.6%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon refill
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: Chorlton Whisky
Average price: € 100,00
Official website: chorltonwhisky.co.uk
Vote: 87/100
Every now and then we bring out one of David Bennett’s many (and excellent) bottlings, returning to the Nouvelle Vague of 2021 with this Glen Elgin distilled in April 2009 and matured in a single cask hogshead that produced 287 bottles in July 2021.
My personal love for this distillery is evident from all the IBs I have tasted, the idea is to find yet another confirmation in this one.
Tasting notes
Explosive nose of intense herbaceous notes and white fruit, with lots of multifaceted apples: green, toffee, cider, vinegar. Pungent and fresh, it soon expresses a softer, warmer side, at times waxy, of butterscotch, honey and custard. The two souls, in apparent discord, intertwine and chase each other in a multifaceted dance, where you move seamlessly from freshly cut grass to lemon tart. Fascinating.
More buttery in the mouth, with peppery accents still on apple and honey, with the more subdued herbaceous side giving way to more accommodating and plump tones, like the liquid flowing through the palate. Almonds, ginger, a hint of sweet liquorice and even coffee join the chorus, more coherent than on the nose but no less engaging: rich, energetic and structured. Very dry in length.
And in the finish we find precisely that dryness again, along with the dominant notes of the distillate that continue at length.
A truly extraordinary nose that translates into a palate that is less disruptive but remains at a high level, with a load of energy and vigour that knows how to bring out the characteristics and personality of the distillery.