A little Glenrothes


October 14, 2026

A little Glenrothes

There’s no shortage of Glenrothes amongst the independent bottlers, but for now we’ll content ourselves with two or three expressions. Plenty more to come later… But first, an official apéritif…

Glenrothes stillhouse in 2003 (WF Archive)

Glenrothes 12 yo (40%, OB, sherry seasoned oak casks, +/-2025)

We find the expression ‘sherry seasoned’ rather underwhelming, the 40% ABV even more so. But our souls are pure and we remain hopeful. Besides, the last 12-year-old we tried was very good (WF 85). Colour: gold. Nose: that’s the thing, the malt is lovely, so are the slightly singed cakes, the oranges are lovelier still, and the macaroons take the biscuit (ooh!). Mouth: no, this is very good, waxy and full of orange cake, with little to complain about, even if a little more wattage would have been welcome. Touches of oatcakes dipped in chocolate. Finish: admittedly short, but balanced and nicely fruity, with the oranges firmly in charge. Comments: a very pretty little malt that should please everyone. Would there happen to be a CS or 100 proof version?
SGP: 541 - 85 points.

Let’s move on to some well-aged independent bottlings, shall we say two of them…

Glenrothes 31 yo (53.2%, The Single Malts of Scotland, hogshead x sherry butt, 560 bottles, 2022)

A marriage of 1989 and 1990. We’re a little late to the party, agreed, but this is Whiskyfun. Colour: full amber. Nose: honey and caramel, a twelve-kilometre-long tarte tatin (you get the idea) and maple syrup. With water: more fermentary notes, malt, beer, leather, tobacco… Mouth (neat): much livelier than expected at such a venerable age, with plenty of spices leading the charge. Cinnamon, nutmeg… With water: fresher and fruitier once we’ve added water, but the spices refuse to budge and defend their position with gusto. Finish: long, a little grassy and dry. Quite a bit of pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: a very fine old Glenrothes, although the spices rather rule the roost on the palate. We found the nose more easy-going.
SGP: 561 - 87 points.

Glenrothes 40 yo 1986/2026 (44.6%, Signatory Vintage, Anniversary Malt, LMDW Anthologistes)

This baby’s commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Friendship between La Maison du Whisky and Signatory Vintage. All very lovely, these occasions often yield some rather splendid bottlings. We also like the fairly light colour for a malt of this age, often a very good sign… Colour: bright gold. Nose: barley, apple, orange, beeswax, pollen, a little paraffin, then marmalade and orgeat. Very precise and well-defined for a malt of this age. Mouth: excellent, fresh, sprightly, very lightly mentholated at first, then we have orchard fruits, pears, plums, apples, peaches… And all the cakes and pastries we might make with them. Apple turnovers in particular, true works of art when done properly. Finish: medium in length, moving towards herbal teas, but the wax and apples keep a watchful eye, while orange notes enliven the aftertaste. Comments: much less fragile than we might have expected, which is already quite an achievement in itself. Very, very good, we think.
SGP: 551 - 89 points.

We’ll be back soon with plenty more Glenrothes…

Check the index of all Glenrothes we've tasted