A small selection of independent Glenglassaugh


September 4, 2025

A small selection of independent Glenglassaugh

I think it's been quite a while since we last tasted Glenglassaugh. We're hoping to come across some new official releases in Paris, London or Hamburg, but in the meantime, let's enjoy these little indie bottlings, no doubt full of character... Just a heads-up, though: there are a few peated versions floating about.

(Glenglassaugh + AI)

Glenglassaugh 13 yo 2011/2024 ‘Peated’ (52.8%, Milroy’s Soho Selection, 1st fill palo cortado hogshead)

And here comes a peated version. Colour: amber. Nose: well then, here we are with tar, roasted chestnuts, toasted semolina and even exhaust fumes (we’re speaking of nothing less than an Italian eight-cylinder). Frankly, the peat is doing a fine tango with the dry sherry. With water: it rounds off a little but remains, shall we say, vibratory. Wee smells of an old petrol station. Mouth (neat): rather massive yet curiously brisk, with salty hints and grapefruit over a layer of pistachio, roasted pecans and the much-anticipated walnuts. Once again, everything dances together very well indeed. With water: in comes the mustard, also keenly awaited, to complete this thoroughly Jerezian picture. Finish: very long, drifting towards Italian bitters that would pair marvellously with that famed eight-cylinder. Fresh saline touches lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: a splendid young trio – Glenglassaugh plus peat plus palo cortado. To stay in tune, one thinks of De Lucia + Di Meola + McLaughlin. Nothing less.
SGP:466 - 89 points.

Maybe we're starting off too high, what do you think…?

Glenglassaugh 12 yo 2011/2023 (55.3%, Milroy’s Soho Selection, 1st fill PX)

No peat this time, apparently. So, we took a little break before tackling this baby. Colour: bright amber. Nose: we’re quite far from the syrupy explosion one might have expected, instead there’s a touch of old tin box (and whoever dares say that’s the same as an Italian V8 will have to answer to my Italian friends). Figs and raisins, Darjeeling-style black tea, equally dark chocolate, air-dried meat in the style of Grisons… With water: oddly enough, one gets coal tar, fresh tarmac, and an old granddad’s pipe… Mouth (neat): properly punchy, but some orange zest lifts it all nicely, along with pepper, tobacco, leather… It’s crying out for water. With water: we’ve tamed it, though only just. Plenty of candied peel chopped up cassata-style, still with sultanas, still with tobacco. Finish: long, slightly salty again, certainly peppery. The tobacco simply won’t let go. Comments: not quite as wham-bam as the peated version, but still absolutely excellent.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Glenglassaugh 10 yo 2014 (58.6%, Alister Walker’s Infrequent Flyers, Sauternes hogshead finish, cask #2369, 309 bottles)

Here too, we’d never come across a Sauternes hogshead, so either it was a hogshead seasoned with Sauternes, or a Sauternes barrique re-coopered into a hoggie. The ways of coopers are impenetrable… Colour: deep gold. Nose: we’re in similar territory to the Milroy’s PX, with a metallic touch at first but then quickly veering towards citrus, apricots, floral tisanes, ripe and tinned peaches… It’s a lovely nose, no doubt about that. We know Sauternes can work rather well. With water: but this is apricot jam with honey and whisky! Mouth (neat): the gentlest of the three, the fruitiest, the most nougat-forward, with orange cake, fudge, baked apples… With water: the sweetness and slightly jammy edge from the Sauternes, I presume, does the job. Honey, mirabelles, apricots, white nougat… Finish: same again, it’s a real liqueur, in the most positive sense of the word. Comments: we’ve done all this in completely the wrong order in terms of aromatic progression, I’m a little ashamed. I shouldn’t have ranked them by ABV. At any rate, this rather gentle baby is also excellent.
SGP:641 - 86 points.

Check the index of all Glenglassaugh we've tasted