The Glenrothes Extinct Vintage Tasting
“In bed with the gangsters” is how Ronnie Cox, Brand Director of The Glenrothes describes Bill McCoy’s relationship with the likes of Al Capone through Prohibition in the US 1920’s. Running rum and whisky past the authorities, McCoy ensured a good supply of Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky arrived into the states, securing a following that has been maintained to this day.
Created during the prohibition in 1923 by wine and spirit merchants Berry Brothers, Cutty Sark was and is a light, sweet blended Scotch whisky with malt from the Glenrothes Distillery at its heart.
Just as Cutty Sark was a relative youngster compared to many long established blends, so its core, the Glenrothes is a relative newcomer to the arena of single malts. However with remarkable creativity and originality, The Glenrothes has enjoyed enviable growth since the first release just 14 years ago in 1994. With a unique bottle shape, inspired no doubt by the numerous onion shaped bottled that line the cellar walls in Berry Bros. shop and offices in St James Street, and a minimalistic label, The Glenrothes stands out from the crowd as authentic and traditional.
However, packaging will only carry a brand so far; without a quality product inside the bottle, The Glenrothes could never survive the competitive world of single malt. After the release of seventeen different vintages since 1994, The Glenrothes has proven itself as a quality and complex product, not just the supporting malt in a well known blend. The Glenrothes boasts to be the world’s fastest growing single malt whisky with a sales increase of 24% in the past 12 months.
I was delighted to recently take part in “The Ultimate Tasting of The Glenrothes” to sample the seventeen vintages and the Select Reserve side by side, most of which are “extinct”, selling out many years ago with just a very small quantity left in the hands of collectors and fans. Perhaps best knows as a distinctively sherried malt, the range showed considerable diversity with a number of lighter, more bourbon influenced expressions. For sherry fans the 1971 released in 1999 packs a mighty punch. A powerhouse with considerable complexity, this old vintage has matured well with no off-putting wood notes at all. This was the star of the show for me and is definitely a sipping whisky with plenty going on to stimulate the taste buds, even after a hearty meal.
To the other end of the spectrum and with equal vocal appreciation is the 1975 vintage, released in 2006. A tantalising, lighter sweeter malt, the 1975 has a much greater percentage of bourbon matured spirit giving it more evident vanilla and toffee notes. Spanning 23 years of maturation from 1971 to 1994 in a variety of sherry and bourbon casks, each bottle of The Glenrothes had its own individuality showing just how much influence the cask has on the final spirit. Pioneering the concept of “vintage” Scotch whisky and challenging the belief that whisky should be consistent, Berry Bros have established a brand from a little know distillery to one of the leading Speyside malts.
Just released is the 1978, the last vintage to be released from the 1970s. This is a superb expression, unbelievably smooth, yet full, creamy and perfectly balanced. With a hint of sweet spices this is a luxury malt, but unfortunately also carried a luxury price at £400. Still, if that's the price for luxury and you can afforded it, then you will certainly enjoy it. If this is out of your budget then look out for the 1991 and 1994 currently on sale. Alternatively you could try the new and very worth Select Reserve.
