Six Glen Garioch of all kinds


October 10, 2025

Six Glen Garioch of all kinds

Some recent releases and some old glories, to accompany and explore the frequent stylistic changes of the famous distillery from the Eastern Highlands. Granted, it’s not the first time we’ve done this, but it’s fascinating to trace the different eras of Glen Garioch. Well, let’s say we’ll give it a go...

(Visit Scotland/AI)

Glen Garioch 11 yo (46%, Cadenhead, Original Collection, 2025)

A double maturation in bourbon and fino, now that is intriguing, perhaps the fino will drag this distillate back to its older style, the one from the 1970s?... Colour: pale gold. Nose: there was a notion, but not quite, it doesn’t veer towards peaty smoke, rather towards sharp apple, mustard and seaweed, then increasingly towards soot and damp cardboard. Let’s say we’re halfway there, and that’s clearly the fino talking. Mouth: exactly what we were expecting, to the point where we’re wondering whether it wasn’t rather some pumped-up manzanilla instead. Seawater, lemon, mustard, cider apple, bitter orange. As almost always, the 46% strength is spot on. Finish: long, even more saline, almost on a mix of seawater and lemon juice. Comments: we’re rather fond of this, although it’s probably not terribly crowd-pleasing.
SGP:462 - 87 points.

Glen Garioch 11 yo 2011/2022 (53.4%, Whiskyjace, Art Edition No.7, barrel)

I was tempted to say a few words about the label, but we’re short on time (it’s morning, S.) Colour: white wine. Nose: fresh apple, limestone, a touch of paraffin, and mandarin peel. It’s fairly tight, but very pretty. For now... With water: it tightens up a little around malted barley, paraffin and candle wax. Amen. Mouth (neat): like the Cadenhead, sans the fino. Very lemony, fresh, taut, with a fine burst of sauvignon blanc in full flow, as in a Sancerre. With water: we remain in the same territory, although once again the barley peeks through. The lemon holds its ground, however. Finish: long, fresh, on apple, lemon and cereals. Comments: a bit like a Lowland, but with more body. In any case, we’re close to the distillate here, and we love that. A lot.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Glen Garioch 11 yo 2011/2023 (53.2% Hidden Spirits for Rudder, Japan, cask #GG1123, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 267 bottles)

Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: very close to the previous one, only this time seemingly stripped of any cask influence, and so we’re on apple, wax and lemon zest, but in infinitesimal amounts. With water: chalk, grist and soot. Sounds like the name of a 1965 American folk trio. Mouth (neat): is it a little newmakey? Probably, there’s eau-de-vie here, notably kirsch and pear, along with grass and limoncello. My only issue is that I rather like this ultra-natural style. With water: once again it tightens up on apple peel and citrus rind over a bed of fresh malt. Perhaps a little elementary at this stage. Finish: long, narrow, compact, on grass and barley. It’s almost a regression. Comments: malt in its natural state, tailor-made for Hobbes and Rousseau.
SGP:451 - 86 points.

Glengarioch 13 yo 2011/2025 (52.5%, James Eadie, Distilleries of Great Britain and Ireland, 1st fill European oak Oloroso finish, cask #374456, 592 bottles)

I rather like their dainty touch of spelling Glen Garioch as one word. Colour: amber. Nose: the sherry is obvious, of course, and comes laden with heaps of tobacco and old ashes from an old pipe. Plenty of mustard, oregano, sage and Maggi too, over a slice of smoked ham. With water: honey! Do you hear that? Honey! Chestnut honey, no less! Our favourite honey... Mouth (neat): dry again, on a mix of leather, more mustard, more lemon, more tobacco, and walnut wine (Nusswasser). With water: not much movement now, save for the arrival of Seville oranges and turmeric, but all in measured doses. Finish: just a tad rounder and softer, no doubt the influence of that very chestnut honey. Comments: of course it’s very good, we were expecting no less.
SGP:461 - 87 points.

Glen Garioch 15 yo 2010/2025 (53.3%, Wu Dram Clan, for Whisky Live Hamburg, oloroso sherry butt, cask #5611, 191 bottles)

By purest chance, just as we’ll be putting this tasting note online, we’ll be en route to Whisky Live Hamburg via Deutsche Bahn. See you there? Colour: gold. Nose: perhaps it’s due to a few extra years, but here we’re decidedly closer to the ground, to the earth—both the acidic Scottish soil and that chalky albariza of Jerez. There’s also quite a bit of salted butter caramel, walnut biscuits, ultra-dried raisins forgotten in an old iron tin, and dried jujubes... In short, it’s complex, certainly broader than the previous ones. With water: the water awakens a touch of new leather and tobacco but also amplifies the dried fruits, very much like an apéritif mix. Which is jolly convenient... Mouth (neat): a little flint at first, then it unrolls, starting on bitter orange, moving through various dried fruits, notably thin apple slices and of course sultanas and goji berries, then drifting towards pepper and cardamom. With water: that flinty edge becomes even more pronounced, yet we’re not into the sulphur, and it makes a rather lovely counterpoint to the dried fruits queueing up at the door. Figs, raisins, longans, dates and so on. Finish: long, curiously massive and yet balanced, with the pepper gradually taking control, followed by more bitter orange lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: the way the pepper arrives unexpectedly in the dying moments is quite something. Fortunately, we’re rather fond of pepper.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

And this little one from days gone by, we did more or less promise it to you, if I’m not mistaken...

Glen Garioch 29 yo 1968 (55.4%, OB, for the US, Distillery Archive, hogshead, cask #617, +/-1997)

Some of the greatest malt whiskies in the world ended up in this official series which, it must be said, now seems rather unfairly forgotten. To be fair, many of these bottles had more sherry than actual bottles of sherry. Truly... Colour: mahogany. Nose: the union of peat and sherry, in the manner of certain legendary Laphroaigs. A sublime medley of spices and dried fruits, which we shan’t list here, plus mentholated liquorice and high-grade tar. We’ll stop there for now, but the score may speak volumes. With water: oh, those varnishes, those paints, that turpentine, that linseed oil! Mouth (neat): these Glen Gariochs from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s rank among the greatest peated malts in the world. Here, it’s chocolate locked in a duel with smoke, underpinned by a sublime dryness that leads, naturally, to deeply infused aged walnut liqueur. The bitterness is magnificent. With water: the citrus leaps from the glass like frogs from a pond, especially blood oranges and bergamots. Finish: very long, now utterly sublime, salted butter, crème brûlée, old walnuts, fir honey, sweet paprika, ashes... Comments: none, forgive me.
SGP:464 - 93 points.

(Merci, Andy and KC!)

Check the index of all Glen Garioch we've tasted