GLENURY ROYAL 88/100

...... CLOSED 1985
........ yet another closed distillery from the eastern highlands, this well regarded Malt is now only available as old, and expensive bottles which are not worth the money, however, if you get to taste this whisky, you can expect a stumbling aromatic, sweet-malt, spice-breezed, age-complex oak-suffused veteran !!!!!!

GLENUGIE 88/100

...... CLOSED 1983
....... an east-coastal highland distillery with a varied pedigree
it is somewhat ironic that, after various owners failed to make a success of the distillery, it is the 'vintage malt' drinkers of today who are impressed at how good many of the surviving old stocks are. Perhaps, any surviving whisky was saved in good casks which have kept well, perhaps it's just luck.
Whatever it is, this whisky is fruity, malty, layered and rewarding.

GLENTURRET 88/100

..... a substantial highlander of some history!
..... allegedly the oldest Distillery in Scotland (maybe!)
this excellent malt is more or less invisible behind the all-dancing, all-singing, sparkle-fest event that is the "Famous Grouse Experience", a family friendly Mcwhisky-ville devoted to Scotland's most over-rated Blend.
It's really so odd, you would hardly know that a great Malt was in production at all!
Malted honey, cream-barley and peppery spice with varied nutty tones circulating, older versions are rare but show old-fashioned gravitas.
Glenturret 21 y.o (Cask Signatory) 91/100

GLENTAUCHERS 86/100

.... complex and beguiling speysider which contributes a little brulee to Chivas Regal Blends.
This is less well known than the other Chivas malts mainly due to it not being officially bottled or promoted as a single malt in recent years.
It has been up to some of the Indies to 'carry the torch!'
It take a bit of familiarization, however this is a rewarding whisky of substance and both sweet and biscuity with maple, scented nuts, vanilla and barley-drops.
Lovely!!
Glentauchers 12 y.o. (Old Malt Cask) 87/100

GLEN SPEY 87/100

..... underrated, colourful speysider owned by Diageo, and doing it's little bit for blended whisky, '..........cos it's not got much of a profile in the Whisky Shops.
Shame really, 'cos this is a decent, juicy, honeyed Malt with smoke, nuts and exotic tea.
Glen Spey 12 y.o. 87/100

GLEN SCOTIA 86/100

......... a mystery Campbeltown Malt that isn't Springbank, or generally as good as Springbank, but standards seem to have been raised recently by the Loch Lomond Distillery Company.
Briney, aromatic and substantial with a fresh peaty glow, this Malt is well worth a perusal, and even outshines their Campbeltown rivals who have been 'distracted' recently.
Glen Scotia 12 y.o. 86/100 .... if this had been 'craft instead of being branded, 92/100.

Feb'10 - Exclusive Malts Cask 1247 85/100 ( an odd malt-grappa-rum thing !

GLENROTHES 76/100

........... complex speysider with a lot of spicy soft energy, and allegedly, in big demand by Blenders.
Rarely have I ever come across such an over-processed, disfigured Malt in all my life.
E150 perma-glow and savage chill-filtration have effectively neutered this whisky.
Any bottles with 1970-something will be expensive but fine, but after that, you take a chance.
...... an exercise in style over substance.

The owners of this whisky should hang their heads in shame!
Glenrothes 1989 64/100

Feb'10 - have recently tried 4 Glen Rothes at the Advanced Whisky Course and discovered 1994/12yo 87/100, 1991/14yo 87/100, 1987/15yo 89/100 and 1985/20yo 90/100 ... which shows a big improvement on past experiences with this Malt. ... good stuff !

GLEN ORD 86/100

.... a robust northern highlander with a great reputation amongst the Blenders for the balance it brings to Blends, Diageo bottle it therefore the Malt signature of the 12 y.o. is a bit off-key due to the 'branding'
however, older Glen Ord's are worth the effort, with a Malt signature of wood, wood-spice, nuts and great under-stated balance.
Glen Ord 12 y.o. 88/100

feb '09 - official 12 y.o. now discontinued, so will be a modest collectors item.

GLEN MORAY 88/100

...... a secretive speysider which rarely seems to get any fuss about it, Why? don't know but perhaps it's because we have a quiet Malt,
no drum rolls or fanfares,
just a decent working, sensitive, peat-less, grassy,
fresh-fruited, barley'd, Malt that surprises and rewards when you eventually catch up with it.
Glen Moray 86/100

GLENMORANGIE 84/100

... this engaging northern highlander has been the biggest selling Malt in Scotland for years, due mainly to consistent quality and refined complexity at a relatively young age.
The Malt at ten years has an engaging balance of floral,citrus,spice, nuts and fruit, and this balance is the key! ..... a french perfumier identified 26 separate aromas from this Malt, ......... ooh ! la! la!.
I won't try to narrow down the taste basics, I recommend you try it as an affordable whisky lesson.
Recently this Malt was purchased along with Ardbeg by L.V.M.H. who specialize in luxury 'Brands'.
I suspect standards will fall,
time will tell.
Glenmorangie 10 y.o. 91/100

Feb'10 - well, dispite my doom and gloom, standards havn't fallen yet, although I find the Glenmorangie 'Original' worth 87/100 and some very pretty bottles on shop shelves.

GLEN MHOR 85/100

............ CLOSED 1983
... this characterful highland Malt from Inverness was part of a twin Distillery operation with Glen Albyn, however, being old, charming and making good Malt was no protection from closure, and now the distillery is a shopping centre.
.............. lovely!
The taste is considered nutty, cereal and malty, and surviving bottlings have had the advantage of time in refill, old (traditional) casks, and therefore, the provenance is good, and the experience ..... probably positive.

Bottles of heritage.....
collectors ahoy !!!

GLENLOSSIE 85/100

...... medium-weight speysider, churning out the Malt for Diageo's Blends.
Not a lot of this whisky out there, although (as usual) the Indi's come to the rescue if you want to try some of this.
It seems to be well regarded as a medium-intense, heather-honey concoction with flurries of barley and spice.
Glenlossie 1993 (Murray McDavid) 84/100

GLENLOCHY 86/100

..... CLOSED 1983
. this characterful highland distillery with it's love-me/hate-me Malt
had a colourful period when a cow-boy (yee! haa!) bought it, then got bored and wanted a Cattle Ranch around Ben Nevis, (yip-i-yee!!) then no-one was interested in poor old Glen Lochy and it was shut forever. (Aw!)
But, fear not, this intense, citrus/gingery/woody bruiser may still be found lurking on the dusty shelves of some Indi bottlers.
Glen Lochy 26 y.o. (D Taylor Ltd) 91/100

GLENLIVIT 85/100

..... big speysider with big heritage.
Never has a Malt stood so high up on it's plinth,
never has it looked more insecure !!!
anyway, many moons ago distilling was a fusion of civil disobedience and moonshine !, then this geezer got a licence to legally make the stuff and the stuff was amazing, then he made shits-loads a money and people hated him for being a 'scab' so he got two lovely pistols and shot a peat fire in an Inn and made more money 'cos his stuff was brilliant, then other Malts wanted to be his Malt and called their Malts "Theirs and his Malt"
and it still happens today with Indi bottlers 'cos pointless tradition helps sell stuff.
Modern Glenlivits are O.K. ranging from good to awful, and older Glenlivits, if you can find any are frequently stunning!
Glenlivit 15 y.o. (french oak) 77/100
Glenlivit 37 y.o. (Lonach) 95/100

Feb'10 have been told the Nadurra versions are good but still to try for myself, but in the meanwhile I have tasted the Standard 12yo 84/100

GLENKINCHIE 83/100

..... one of the very few lowland distilleries left, and provider of floral, light and sweet Malt for Diageo Blends.
Standards are reasonable, but the whisky is too perfumed for many tastes although that situation does improve with maturation years.
This distillery is a tourist hot-spot being nearest to Edinburgh and houses a Museum of Distilling containing a scale model of a highland Distillery.
............... Lovely.
Glenkinchie 12 y.o. 84/100

GLEN KEITH 70/100

...... this modern speysider was built as an 'innovating' Distillery that used new technologies, ......... and the results have been 'variable'.
Sweet, salt, smooth and pleasant it is really a blend-filler Malt.
This is now Chivas Regal's 'technical centre'
..... and that's about it.
Sometimes the Indi's have decent ones.
A rather minor collectible.

GLEN GRANT 87/100

..... big fat speysider that doesn't take prisoners.
This Malt has a distinctive personality, and is available in huge age range from 5 to 50 years.
Bold, malty, barley with lashings of dried fruit, nuts and marzipan, ..... young versions are spirity, old versions hugely mellow
I love this stuff, and once you get to know it, you see it's signature pop up in all sorts of old niche Blends and Pure Malts.
Glen Grant 34 y.o. (S.M.of S.) 92/100

GLENGOYNE 84/100

... the most lowland highlander Malt in Scotland !
Quite lowland in it's style and this is further influenced by the claim that no peat is used in the malting process.
Quality barley types are claimed to contribute to the finish of this Malt and this reputation is rounded off by being a pretty distillery in a very pretty location, like Edradour, but different.
The malt itself is grainy, soft-barley, soft spiced and when good, it's good, when bad, it's ........ !.
One problem seems to be a legitimate 'craft' claim followed up by a pointless 'brand' presentation.
Glengoyne 17 y.o. 88/100

Feb'10 - an ongoing interesting wee Distillery which now sells 'Futures' Casks of Malt, and remains Craft orientated although not 100% yet !

GLENGLASSAUGH 90/100

........ one of the few maritime speysiders, and just recently re-opened after being moth-balled for many years, this is a delicate whisky by whisky standards, which means that when it's good it's fantastic, and when it's less good ,its forgetable.
Sweetish, floral, briney, slight sea-smoke, complex and enormously engaging.
This is well worth a try, if you don't find the new 'fancy' bottlings too expensive.
Glenglassaugh 15 y.o. (Cadenhead) 95/100

Feb'10 Lean times for this elegant Distillery as Manager Stuart pulls it back to 'normal service'.

Some success achieved with bottling New-make spirit.

GLEN GARIOCH 85/100

............. slightly bonkers east highland distillery with a quietly growing reputation for variable, but interesting Malt.
Whilst chatting to the seller in a local west-end wine shop in Glasgow, she told me that an old Professor popped in every day for bottle of the 15 y.o., day after month after year, till he died of alcohol abuse.
It was only the 15 y.o., nothing else.
Odd.
The flavour is of sawdust, varied wood-notes and pine/spices.
Glen Garioch 21 y.o. odd!/100

Feb'10 - 'Founders Reserve' 86/100 This Malt does have a great character, and the odd experience of rock-salt on the finish.