Glenglassaugh 12yo

The stills of the Glenglassaugh distillery fell silent in November of 1986. Following the closure, a handful of official bottlings have been released. In 2008, the Dutch-based Scaent Group acquired the distillery for £5 million and reopened it in November of that year. The Glenglassaugh distillery sits on a hillside in the Glassaugh Glen in close proximity to the sea.

The distillery was founded in 1875 by the Glenglassaugh Distillery Company and the build cost £10,000. In 1887, refurbishments were carried out on the site, under the control of Alexander Morrison; stills were installed and equipment was modernized. Five years later, former customers Robertson and Baxter acquired the distillery and promptly resold it to the Highland Distilleries Company for £15,000. Between 1908 and 1960 the Glenglassaugh whisky distillery was only in operation very briefly, for it closed and reopened frequently.

Just before reopening in 1960, an extensive rebuild was carried out and two new stills were installed; these were significantly larger than the previous stills and consequently doubled the total annual capacity to one million litres. During this time the onsite maltings were shut down and from then on Tamdhu Distillery provided the malt. Over the years Glenglassaugh whisky has been a constituent of many blends including the popular Famous Grouse and the American favourite, Cutty Sark. Today there are a few official house bottlings and a handful of independent releases.

A milestone moment for the Glenglassaugh distillery, which fired its stills back up in 2008 after over two decades of silence. After that reawakening, a growing stash of single malt has been patiently maturing in the distillery's coastal warehouses, under the watchful eye of master blender Rachel Barrie. 2023 sees the launch of this brand new flagship 12-year-old single malt. Drawn from a selection of bourbon, sherry, and red wine casks, it's layered with soft stone fruits, toasted vanilla, softly salted chocolate, and sweet, nutty meringue.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Brimming with apricot, fig rolls, candied nuts, and waves of sea breeze.

Palate: That sweet stone fruit continues on the palate, with toasty notes of vanilla, and creamy hazelnut meringues.

Finish: Softly salted cherry chocolate, and a lingering nuttiness with candied pistachio, and a delicious reminder of Daim bars.