Four Glen Elgin and a hint of wood


January 26, 2026

Four Glen Elgin and a hint of wood

We believe that Glen Elgin should retain its place among the great historic malts, rather than sinking to the depths of the latest loch. In our view and perhaps in an ideal world, it's the best malts that should rise to the top — and that has absolutely nothing to do with marketing budgets or tequila finishes. And let’s not even mention the ubiquitous mizunara. Come on then, let’s have a few Glen Elgin...

Glen Elgin 16 yo 2009/2024 (56.1%, The Whisky Blues, STR barrel, cask #801780, 236 bottles)

An STR barrel, which suits us nicely—we imagine it’s simply what one would have called, just five years ago, a ‘rejuvenated barrel’. Colour: straw. Nose: this fatness on ripe apples, barley and muesli. Very Glen Elgin (and very complementary to Lagavulin, but let’s move on, although where is Lagavulin, by the way?…) With water: I swear you can smell the old White Horse. Truly, I swear. Mouth (neat): the perfection of a ‘central’ malt, thick and fat, but all on oils and orchard fruits. With water: damp soils, stewed apples and pears, grapeseed oil. It’s not here to amuse, but that’s probably not the goal anyway. Finish: long, even more bitter. Comments: we’re absolutely fond of this extremely austere style, but to be honest, it’s still rather niche. Still, we kind of adore it…
SGP:361 - 83 points.

Glen Elgin 29 yo 1995/2025 (44.6%, The Whisky Blues, refill hogshead, cask #3256, 254 bottles)

Do you believe in premonitions? We certainly do… Colour: straw. Nose: this is an old malt, marked by the wrinkles of time—old apples, damp chalk, beeswax, dusty books, vintage polish... In short, on the nose it rather bids us farewell, but of course it’s the palate that matters most… Mouth: an unsuspected vigour on the palate, even though age does show, via slightly overripe apples and gently tired spices. Or faded herbal teas. Or old, lightly salted broths. Finish: fairly short, a touch drying, though honey and pollen kindly come to the rescue. Comments: not an easy old malt, that much is certain. It likely calls for a little intellectual effort, which isn’t always in abundant supply at WF HQ, ha. Still, it’s really very good—and besides, 1995 was the year of ‘Confide in Me’ by Kylie Minogue! No, forget the Cranberries…
SGP:361 - 82 points.

Glen Elgin 13 yo 2012/2025 (56%, Watashi Whisky & Le Sens, 1st fill Sauternes barrique, cask #806484)

First fill Sauternes can be a tad unsettling, not just because of the sulphur these casks tend to harbour once emptied (coz of the way they quickly go off due to all that sugar if you don’t ‘treat’ them), but one never knows—it can also work wonders. As ever, the truth lies in the glass… Colour: gold. Nose: well, this one does work, with apricot liqueur, mirabelle eau-de-vie, vanilla sponge, orange blossom and candle wax. It all holds together rather nicely. With water: becomes very much about assorted herbal teas. Mouth (neat): Sauternes can work, and here’s yet another example, not unlike the early Glenmorangies of old. That said, the wood is quite vocal here, very ‘green’, peppery, almost as if it came from fresh French oak. With water: a faint touch of menthol, that’ll be the oak. Finish: it fades while becoming ever drier and more bitter. The mirabelle and muscat do bring a little cheer to the aftertaste. Comments: we really do quite like it, but it’s probably not the easiest bottle out there, the cask influence being rather assertive.
SGP:461 - 81 points.

Last chance, dear Glen Elgin… By the way, we haven’t seen many official bottlings. I mean, since around 2010.

Glen Elgin 17 yo 2007/2025 (57.5%, Single Cask Nation, double maturation in oloroso hogshead, cask #173287, 230 bottles)

Colour: full gold. Nose: here come the roasted peanuts, charred wood, malt and walnut liqueur. This is much more classic than the previous ones, and we’re rather delighted by that. With water: quality grey pepper and a few old papers. We do love the scent of old papers. Mouth (neat): almost an onslaught of spices and citrus—green pepper, zest, bitter orange and clove. Classic and modern at the same time, so that’s spot on. With water: it improves further still, on orange, coriander and shochu. White pepper and yellow curry in the aftertaste, the cask clearly having been rather active. Finish: long, more peppery, spicier still. Comments: super stuff, just very oak-driven, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
SGP:461 - 83 points.

Right, we'll leave it there, and hope to find some Glen Elgin in its purest form over the coming months.

Check the index of all Glen Elgin we've tasted