I really like a nice middle-aged Glentauchers, it’s one of these drams that have really been brought to our attention by independent bottlers.
Today we’ll try two 21 year-olds head-to-head, one bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company and the other one by The Whisky Exchange.
Glentauchers 21 yo (47,1%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company 2020, Batch #8, 803 btl.)
Nose: exactly. Waxy apples, hints of bananas, melons and a wee touch of guava. A little floral honey with yellow meadow flowers. Something creamy / buttery in the background, maybe shortbread. A sweet and rather summery fruitiness with the roundness of a good bourbon cask.
Mouth: lots of apple pies with brown sugar on top. Then getting more tropical: apricots, papaya and tropical bubble gum. Rather syrupy but balanced with hints of lemongrass and candied lemon, plus some spices like cinnamon and pepper. Returns on barley notes with a grassy touch towards the end.
Finish: long, now increasingly minty, with green fruits, icing sugar and some floral echoes in the very end.
Lovely fruity sweetness, with hints of beeswax. Always a recipe for success in my opinion. Considerably cheaper than this previous batch too. Available from Master of Malt.
Glentauchers 21 yo 1997 (54,5%, The Whisky Exchange 2019, bourbon barrel #403, 182 btl.)
Nose: this one is more on polished oak at first, but there’s a similar kind of waxy note and buttery edge. Vanilla biscuit. Some pears and guava again, but it’s less emphatically fruity than the TBWC release. The grassy side is bigger as well. Water brings out citrus fruits and more waxy notes.
Mouth: this is where more of the tropical fruits come out (green mango, papaya), still with a big dose of beeswax and oak polish. The higher ABV brings along more spicy notes, as well as a hint of herbal tea and liquorice. It doesn’t swim too well this time, most of the special notes are lost and it falls back on sugary barley spirit.
Finish: long, now increasingly minty, with green fruits, icing sugar and some floral echoes in the very end.
This has definitely the same DNA as the other one – they’re almost on the same level. I like the polished wood and citrus freshness here, but the warm tropical fruitiness of the Boutique-y release is so very seductive… Available from The Whisky Exchange.
Score: 88/100