Before the introduction of its vintage concept in 1994, Glenrothes had an official 12 years old expression bottled by Berry Bros. & Rudd as well as several releases by independent bottlers.
Gordon & MacPhail had this Glenrothes 8 years old from the late 1960’s until recently (in the MacPhail’s Collection). The bottle reviewed here was bottled mid 1970’s.
Glenrothes 8 yo
(40%, Gordon & MacPhail, mid 1970’s)
Glenrothes 8 yoNose: very grainy and pretty rough. Cereals. Big notes of apple peel and citrus (lime peel). Golden syrup. Also a green, vegetal edge.
Mouth: surprisingly sweet. Lots of honey. Again rather malty, with some vanilla custard, toffee, candy sugar and cooked fruits. Hints of coconut cream.
Finish: medium long, neutral and sweet.
An interesting dram, not for its quallity, but for educational purposes. Distilled late 1960’s, its profile is rather close to the 1950’s and 1960’s blends I could try. I always thought the peculiar blended profile was mostly due to the grains (which were young and plenty back then) but apparently the young malts in the blends, like this Glenrothes, must have been responsible for it as well. Fetches up to € 200 in auctions, expensive for what it is.
Score: 71/100