Two times Glen Garioch 2011 bottled in Germany and Belgium. Both bottlings are ex-bourbon casks, but the Asta Morris version had an extra three months in the Bielle 2011 rum cask which was emptied not long before.
Glen Garioch 8 yo 2011 (59,9%, Liquid Treasures ’10th Anniversary’ 2019, ex-bourbon barrel, 132 btl.)
Nose: quite green, with lots of green bananas and grassy notes. Slightly riper apple notes. Sencha tea and other leafy hints. Unripe pineapple. Sweet cereals and vanilla notes. Young, slightly spirity.
Mouth: quite sweet and hot, but again fairly neutral and spirity. Barley sugar, hints of cereals, porridge and bread. Fruit eau-de-vie. Some pepper and nutmeg as well.
Finish: medium long, all on barley and spice.
Very natural and close to the raw materials. The barrel didn’t really bring much to the table so the end result is a little uninspired. Around € 60.
Score: 81/100
Glen Garioch 8 yo 2011
(52%, Asta Morris 2019, ex-bourbon cask + rum finish, 272 btl.)
Glen Garioch 8 yo 2011Nose: the rum took away most of the green notes and replaced them with a typical (slightly industrial, nice) rummy note as well as some sweet honey and buttercups. The banana notes are amplified. Comes accross more mature and more entertaining.
Mouth: fresh fruits, with this drier rum agricole mixed into it. Some dusty spices (pepper, nutmeg) and a sweet vanilla touch. Unripe fruits. Hints of caraway seeds and pencil shavings. Expertly finished in any case.
Finish: medium, with malty notes, pepper and walnut.
I assume the base whisky was pretty much the same as the Liquid Treasures, and applying the rum finish was certainly a good decision. Also around € 60.
Score: 86/100