Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 51.5%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Whisky Facile
Price: € 140.00 on Atlas Company
Official website: Whisky Facile
Vote: 85/100
We return to the first four bottlings of Whisky Facile in the black cat series, with illustrations by Mitch Itsallinsideus, and we turn our attention to Glen Ord (one of the three distilleries appearing under the label of Singleton) aged in an ex-Bourbon cask, like the other three felines in this first batch.
A 2009 distillate bottled in 2022, from a distillery with multiple identities that I can’t say is exactly in my personal top 10, but which in a single cask I trust will fulfil its potential.
Tasting notes
All the fruity freshness of the distillery emerges from the glass, with a parterre du roi of peach, pineapple, pear, banana, lychee and white grapes, nestled on a bowl of custard with a drop of caramel. A dessert? Not really, thanks to the mineral notes between wet stone and graphite that intrigue the aromas, with hints of heather and a slightly spicy background of cinnamon and nutmeg. Classic with style.
On the palate, it begins with a flash of sweetness that quickly makes way for a sharp profile thanks to the very lively mineral part and the fruit that pushes on evocations of pineapple, pear and grapefruit, with a definite note of white pepper in the background. Very dry, it brings out over time a vegetal part (black tea, fennel) associated with a hint of coffee, with a salty impression that catches you off guard towards the end. Algid.
The finish is long and dry, where the mineral part steeped in saltiness, white fruit, vegetal notes and coffee continues decisively.
A seemingly classic and ‘harmless’ profile that manages to fire unexpected cartridges, with elegantly sharp and intriguing nuances, that prompt dangerously continuous drinking.