Ah, yes, those Glenrothes 1997 bottlings. Always the talk of the town among sherry lovers and in high demand on the second hand market. But as you may know, I have difficulties with their profile.
Today two releases from Eiling Lim and Whisky-Fässle head-to-head. The Eiling Lim releases was apparently bottled in 2016 but it wasn’t made available until recently.
Glenrothes 20 yo 1997 (47,9%, Whisky-Fässle 2017, sherry butt)
Glenrothes 20 yo 1997 (47,9%, Whisky-Fässle 2017, sherry butt)Nose: bloated sherry, which means lots of pumpernickel, mushrooms, damp moss, celeriac, roasted chestnuts and all that. Tobacco and chocolate. Dates of course.
Mouth: same style, more on dark chocolate now, chestnuts and mushrooms. Meaty sherry. There’s also a brighter note in the background, maybe orange peels or a hint of roasted pineapple.
Finish: long, dark, on coffee and chocolate. Still a faint orange note.
Fleshy, bulky and meaty with a truckload of drying notes. A bit dirty and therefore not many points in my book. Sold out.
Score: 81/100
Glenrothes 19 yo 1997 (50,2%, Eiling Lim 2016, P.X. sherry butt, 201 btl.)
Glenrothes 19 yo 1997 (50,2%, Eiling Lim 2016, P.X. sherry butt, 201 btl.)Nose: hard to put your finger on the differences, they’re obviously sister casks. The mushrooms are louder here, even with a hint of cooked cabbages. Very leafy, lots of brown toast. Chestnuts and burnt caramel.
Mouth: getting more herbal and woody notes now, might be the higher alcohol as well. Blackberries, prunes and more bitter chocolate. Meaty sherry. Tobacco leaves. Slightly less of the fruity highlights here, but again, close together.
Finish: long, earthy, with spices and chocolate.
Not exactly better, not much worse either. Sister casks, no doubt. I believe this one may still be available.
Score: 80/100
Pretty much a confirmation of the fact that I don’t really like this style. I shall stop trying. Sorry, my friends.