Glen Garioch Virgin Oak is 100% matured in new American oak. While it’s regularly seen for finishing or in a mix with other cask types, it can be overpowering for a full maturation.
For this expression Glen Garioch specifically used ‘inner heartwood’ of 100-year-old trees, which was heavily charred.
Glen Garioch Virgin Oak
(48%, OB +/- 2014)
Nose: sweet, with plenty of vanilla and spices like ginger, cardamom and anise. Sugared cereals, a little buttered toast. There’s also a grassy, greenish woody note, like freshly sawn oak.
Mouth: thick but also a tad raw, the cloves and other bitter spices are quite strong. Peppery wood. Lots of vanilla custard. Stewed apples underneath. Also leathery touches and hints of rye whiskey.
Finish: quite long, dry and spicy. A bit of cardboard.
This is very heavy on the spices and overall just over-oaked. A good example of what new oak can do to whisky – and why they tend to use casks that have been used before. I believe this was a UK exclusive, still readily available from Master of Malt for instance.
Score: 78/100