Glenrothes 1995 Cask Strength Collection Symington's Choice 30 yo c. 6980

 

 

 

54,4°

Distillery : Glenrothes - Speyside

1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

The Cask Strength Collection series is already a guarantee of quality, but with the Symington's Choice seal on top of that, you can be sure you're getting the best casks from Signatory Vintage, a company founded in 1988 by the Symington brothers. This one is a Glenrothes, aged for 30 years, 1 month and 27 days, which spent its entire maturation period in a first-fill Oloroso sherry butt. 499 bottles were produced from the cask. Not to be confused with cask 933, distilled and bottled in the same year. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :  

The sherry is very intense, with notes of fig jam, apple tart sprinkled with cinnamon, raspberry coulis, dates and dried apricots, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, chocolate fondant, marzipan, creamy vanilla, damp wood, salted butter caramel, honey, floor wax, incense, freshly tanned leather. On the palate, it is very rich and very sweet, but without excess, with raisins, slivered almonds, crushed quinces, a number of candied fruits and a generous helping of spices, crème brûlée, a zest of lemon. The finish begins with dark chocolate, coffee beans, mahogany, melted butter, shortbread biscuits, a hint of wild strawberries. Roasted nuts, nougat.

 

In Short, 

It has everything that is good about sherry: it is rich, indulgent, varied, deep and intense. Some may regret not finding the character of the distillate, but this is Glenrothes, always aged in sherry casks, and that's no coincidence. The price is of course very high, but not beyond what the market demands, so enthusiasts with the means may be tempted to splurge.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Julia Holter - Evening Mood

Glenrothes 1995 Artist #12 Over 25 yo

 

 

 

55,5°

Distillery : Glenrothes - Speyside

1st Fill Sherry Butt 

Independent Bottling 

By La Maison du Whisky 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

As part of the 12th release in the Artist range launched in 2011 by La Maison du Whisky, this Glenrothes at least 26 years old is intriguing. Aged in a 1st Fill Sherry Butt, it provided 448 bottles and was included in the Antipodes collection, which is a selection of bottlings showcased by La Maison du Whisky at Whisky Live Paris 2022. It doesn't appear to be a Cask Strength, as it's labelled as such on only one website, and the others are silent, so I've deduced that it isn't, as at such a high alcohol content, a slight reduction is possible.The artwork featured on the label, as on all the Artist bottlings, is entitled Il Giardino segreto della Giapponese, and is produced by Gesine Arps, a German artist. But she lives in Italy.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The Sherry is obviously present, but very balanced, rich and unctuous, with everything you need in a good Sherry, chocolate, red and dried fruits, blood orange, thick caramel, a few notes of cinnamon and ginger, an ounce of rancio. On the palate, it's more nuanced, the Sherry is there, but more vinous, blueberries and blackberries, heather, and in the background we find cereals and coffee. The spices are measured. The finish is long, well-crafted, very fruity with grapes of all colours, tannins, ginger, earth and sandalwood. Brown tobacco.

 

In Short, 

A very fine Sherry, very well balanced but lacking a hint of originality and complexity for my taste. It's very well made, though, and will delight fans of the genre, but the price is so ridiculously high that I wouldn't recommend buying it.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                           Lucky Lloyd - I Feel the Pain

Glenrothes 1990 The Single Malts of Scotland A Marriage of Casks 31 yo

 

 

 

53,2°

Distillery : Glenrothes - Speyside

Hogshead and Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By Elixir Distillers 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2022 

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength 

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Within the A Marriage of Casks range, we find blends of a small number of aged casks, in this case a Hogshead and a Sherry Butt, one distilled in 1989, the other in 1990, which together produced 560 bottles.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Dark and thick sherry, blackcurrant and redcurrant jam, raspberry coulis, old leather, dried figs and dates, morello cherries, blueberries and blackberries, with a hint of cereal and malt in the background, toasted wheat, cracked millet. On the palate, the fruit is still there, but this time accompanied by woody notes, liquorice, bark, dark chocolate, discreet but bewitching spices, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. The finish is very long, but not very explosive, with tinder, Armenian paper, candied ginger, chestnuts and dried apricots.

 

In Short, 

It's a Sherry monster, without being excessive, there's no sulphur, and it's not too sweet for my taste. It's very well made, this distillery goes very well with Sherry. As for the price, it's monstrous too, I don't know if it's worth it.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience - Stickin' the Knife in Blues

Glenrothes 2014 100 Proof Edition #20 10 yo

 

 

 

57,1° (100° Proof)

Distillery : Glenrothes - Speyside

1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butts

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage 

Limited Edition 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

This is the second Glenrothes to be bottled in this range, launched earlier this year. The ageing process is more or less the same, it has just been extended by a year. The other bottle is pretty good, so I imagine the aim is to do just as well.

Let's Taste It : 

Crunchy red fruits, quince purée, apple compote, warm freshly baked bread. Lightly smoked wood. It's indulgent, with sponge cake and nougatine, chantilly, gooey caramel. Chestnut cream. On the palate, it's velvety, custard, slightly acid apples, cloves and cumin, dark chocolate. The finish is powerful and deep, quite long, wood charcoal, earthy undertones, fresh figs, blueberries, a touch of bitterness. The influence of the wood is intense. Redcurrants, cranberries, dried apricots. Chocolate chips.

 

In Short, 

I didn't find it as good as the previous one. Both are saturated with Sherry and marked by the influence of wood, but with the first, it becomes rounder after a while. With this one, the wood influence is maintained, even after an hour. It's still good, but there are smoky and slightly bitter notes. Which has its charm. As usual, the price is very attractive, so why hold back?

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Blackbriar - Floriography

Glenrothes 2015 Artist Collective N°7.3 9 yo

 

 

 

48°

Distillery : Glenrothes - Speyside

1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butts 

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

I'm continuing to explore the new Batch, which marks the return of the Artist Collective range, with a lot of reduced bottlings, but well done nonetheless. This one takes us into Speyside, it's a young Glenrothes, which has spent 9 years in two Butts of 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry, making a total of 1910 bottles. The label features Katrin Bremerman's work entitled N°2106.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The Sherry is gourmand and not too overpowering. Raspberry coulis, redcurrant jam, hot wood. Velvety tomato soup. Woodwax, with hints of caramel and chocolate, toffee, freshly baked cookies, a few dried fruits, raisins, cherry, quinces. The palate is pleasant, fruity and spicy, cranberries and light spices, cloves and a melting muffin. Pastry cream. The finish is a little short, with chocolate chips and puffed rice, soft wood, a few vegetal notes, cola and chestnuts.

 

In Short, 

This distillery goes very well with Sherry, and here it's a success, with just the right amount of fruit and woodiness, all nuanced and subtle, with a nice balance. Unfortunately, I found the finish slightly underwhelming. That said, this is a fine bottling, at a rather high price, but it will please enthusiasts all the same.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Honeyglaze - Ghost

Glenrothes 2015 100 Proof Edition #6 9 yo

 

 

 

57,1° (100° Proof)

Distillery : Glenrothes - Speyside

1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butts

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

As part of the 100 Proof range launched this winter by Signatory Vintage, this Glenrothes has been the talk of the town. Aged in first-fill Sherry Butts, it promises to delight connoisseurs. 3988 bottles were produced.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The Sherry is very intense, pan-fried red plums, smoked meat, rough wood, rich spices, ras el hanout, red fruit purée. shoe polish. Royal jelly. Salted butter caramel. Then it's on to dried fruit, apricots, grapes. Cooked tomatoes. On the palate, the fruit comes out a little more, it's sweet, the alcohol is fairly well integrated, then the spices come in, and it becomes a bit vinous, damsons, amadou. The finish is long and well-crafted, earthy, bark, chocolate, black coffee, figs and prunes, muscat grapes.

 

In Short, 

When I first opened the sample, the Sherry was overpowering, almost smoky due to the influence of the wood, something I'd never experienced before. After that, it balanced out and became very tasty and pleasant. It's the best unpeated whisky of the 100 Proof I've tasted so far. You can still find it here and there, but it has fallen victim to its reputation. As always with this range, the price is very good.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                           ShamaMamahS - Set your Smile Free

Glenrothes 2009 Premier Barrel 10 yo

 

 

 

46° 

Distillery : Glenrothes - Speyside

Refill Sherry Hoghshead

Independent Bottling 

By Douglas Laing é Co. 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

In Douglas Laing & Co's Premier Barrel range, this Glenrothes from a single cask produced 411 bottles. The bottle is distinctive in that it is made of ceramic.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Beautiful breadth on the nose, with iodine and vanilla, it's intense but also mellow and pleasant. Slight minerality, fine sea salt, granite. A whiff of butter. The dried fruits are rare, the Sherry is very discreet, but they give an appreciable thickness. Continues on the palate, with candied vanilla, chalky rock and discreet dried fruits that add character. The finish is fairly long, salty, dry earth, charcoal, lacquered wood. Nevertheless, it lacks a little power.

 

In Short, 

Very nice bottling, to be enjoyed in a cool, cosy place. On the other hand, I almost didn't smell the sherry, but maybe that's just me. And the price is totally exaggerated.

Score : 86   

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping  :

 

                                           Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse