Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 58.4%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-bourbon and ex-Banyuls
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Hannah Whisky Merchants Ltd
Average price: € 100.00
Official website: www.ladyoftheglen.com
Vote: 86/100
Lady of the Glen was born in 2012 from the passion and enthusiasm of Gregor Hannah, then only 25 years old. For him, whisky has always been like home: his father used to play the bagpipes at weddings, parties and celebrations of various kinds, and the reward for this service often consisted of bottles of Scotch. Then, during a stint working in a bar, came the turning point: the decision to study the history and techniques in depth, and the choice to become an independent bottler. This in a nutshell. As for the brand, Gregor wanted it to embody the essence of Scotland, albeit with a contemporary twist, and so Lady of the Glen, in homage to the ghost of the lady who supposedly roams Stirling Castle. The elegant purple of the packaging recalls the delicate Scottish wildflower.
Lady of the Glen offers single casks, often cask strength, and in any case always in their natural colour and without chillfiltration.
Today we taste a Glen Spey distilled on 6 December 2012 and matured in ex-Bourbon, before being aged for a little over a year in a cask that had previously housed Banyuls, a French natural sweet wine made from a blend of red and white grapes, which is based on the same winemaking technique as Port, Marsala and Madeira, the mutization, with alcohol added during fermentation (unlike Sherry, where it is only added once fermentation is complete).
The whisky was bottled on 5 April 2023, at the respectable alcohol content of 58.4%, in 295 bottles.
Tasting notes
The colour is bright amber.
The nose starts out sweet, or rather very sweet, with custard, eggnoge and caramel, with a slight peppery note, an impression of ripe figs and a balsamic liquorice note. As the drink progresses, a metallic-oxidative hint asserts itself, but it does not detract much from the sugary side, with apricot jam and a whiff of toffee and fruit gummies.
In the mouth it is still peppery and sweet, with rivers of caramel and fruit, in the guise of apricot and dried figs, and a citrusy touch of orange peel. Honey milk caramels, toffee and toffee confirm the saccharine supremacy, too bad the alcohol is a bit noticeable.
The finish is not very long and is still not recommended for diabetics, with caramel, apricot and a touch of dried fruit (almond).
The barrel ageing affected the final result quite a bit, but whether this is good or bad depends mainly on one’s taste. For us, the result was convincing, because although the sweetness dominates, it is never cloying or shamelessly pandering, and the whisky has backbone, texture and a personality of its own that allows it to stand out.