The Glasgow Distillery Company has been producing whisky since 2014 – a new chapter in the history of the city. While this is the first time we’re publishing a review of their own brand Glasgow 1770, we already talked about King’s Inch – a brand linked to Glasgow distillery.
Unusually for the Lowlands, they distill single malt whisky from peated malt.
Glasgow 1770 3 yo 2018 (60,1%, OB for Kirsch Import 2022, virgin oak + Moscatel wine finish, cask #18/959, 396 btl.)
Nose: cigarette smoke, with leafy notes and ashes. Then the virgin oak takes over, with white pepper and plenty of ginger. Underneath there is some grape sweetness, but I wouldn’t say the Moscatel is playing first fiddle. Water brings out the fragrant side of the wood.
Mouth: plenty of wood influence again. Ginger, pepper, with wood char and bitter herbs. Some roughness of old genever too, along with walnuts and leather. Only a hint of fruitiness appears over time, think orange peels and vague echoes of sweet grapes. Way too much virgin wood, leaving an acrid footprint.
Finish: medium length, still tight and rather alcoholic, with green tobacco and ginger.
Not overly impressive, I’m afraid. The virgin maturation had a big impact and the Moscatel cask can’t smoothen it out. Check Kirsch Whisky for retailers.
Glasgow 1770 6 yo 2018 (62%, OB for Kirsch Import 2022, virgin oak + Oloroso sherry finish, cask #18/1192, 318 btl.)
Nose: the Oloroso has more to say. There are blackberries, roasted chestnuts, some cassis and autumnal, leafy notes. Plenty of charcoal and campfire. Some virgin oak markers are still present (ginger, black pepper, herbs and grasses) but they are more balanced. Then back to tobacco leaves, chocolate coated nuts, coffee and leather. Really not bad.
Mouth: very strong, with active wood again. White pepper, herbal bitters, liquorice and eucalyptus, with a tingling sensation on the tongue. Then hints of coffee, black nougat and burnt sugar. A subtle rubbery edge and orange peels. Lightly charred notes too.
Finish: quite long, but mostly on wood tannins, bitter chocolate and black peppercorns. Coffee notes too.
Slightly excessive bitterness and raw wood are starting to become problematic, in my opinion. Both whiskies are suffering from the virgin oak kickstarter. That said, the Oloroso is much more prominent than the Moscatel, so this pulls it off better. High alcohol, youthful whisky from overly active wood – maybe we simply shouldn’t expect miracles from young distilleries. This was bottled and sold two years ago, but I think some bottles are still out there. Score: 82/100