FACTS
In 1840, brothers John and James Grant applied for a distillery licence. Seen as the distillery location was near to the Port of Garmouth, the River Spey and was surrounded by barley-growing plains, all the ingredients for malt whisky were close at hand. By 1872, John and James had died and the young James 'The Major' Grant, born in 1847, had taken a keen interest in the distillery. Having inherited the business and the title 'Glen Grant' from his uncle, John, he was to prove himself a worthy successor.
The Major, was an inventor and traveller and was fascinated with new ideas. He was the first man in the Highlands to own a car, Glen Grant was the first distillery to have electric lights and he introduced the tall, slender stills and purifiers which create the fresh, malty flavour that defines Glen Grant whisky to this day. In 1931, The Major died and was survived by three daughters, with Douglas MacKessack, his grandson, becoming his successor.
In 1972, The Glenlivet and Glen Grant merged with Hill, Thomson and Co. Ltd, and Longmorn Distilleries Ltd, to form Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. The original family interest in the distillery was maintained together with two outside shareholders, Courage Ltd, for the fermentation process and Suntory Ltd, the Japanese distilling company. In 2006, Campari acquired Glen Grant. Today, Glen Grant has five whiskies in their standard line namely, the NAS The Major's Reserve, 10, 12, and 18 year olds and a 12 year old Non-Chill Filtered bottling. In addition, they bottle some limited editions and some extraordinarily old whiskies, such as a 15 year old Batch Strength and a 50 year old and a few independent Glen Grant's are bottled up to an unbelievable 70 years of age.
Whisky/ Year: Glen Grant 18 year old (2016)
Whisky Type: Single Malt
Distillery/Owner: Glen Grant Distillery (Gruppo Campari)
Country/Region: Scotland (Speyside)
Cask Type: Bourbon
Age: 18 Years Old
ABV: 43%
Chill Filtration: Probably Yes
Natural Colour: Probably Yes
Price: R1500 / $107 / £83
TASTING NOTES
Colour:
White Wine / Light Apple Juice
Nose:
Super light on the nose with an initial burst of apple juice. The fruitiness continues with fresh pears and sweet, white grapes. Behind the fresh, white fruits comes some citrus and vanilla, creamy creme brulee, and a soft wood note
Palate:
The mouthfeel is of an intermediate viscosity, not oily but it's also not thin. It is very refined and it's clear that this is a well-aged and well-made whisky with absolutely zero alcohol burn. It's fairly malty with butterscotch and apple danish pastry, mingling well with the light woodiness
Finish:
The finish is medium to long with gorgeous cereal and woody notes carrying through
P.S.
The Glen Grant 18 replaced the 16 year old when they re-branded around 2016. Although the 16 was an adequate whisky, it wasn't terribly exciting. The 18, however, is very different. There's no smoke and mirrors here (pun intended) and some may think it's boring but I think it's an elegant and refined whisky and absolutely delicious. It is more of an aperitif with it's very light and fruity style but certainly makes you want to savour every drop.
SCORE: 8/10
Check out our whisky scoring guide
Comments