Glentauchers may not be on the radar of many whisky enthusiasts but Jim Murray once described it as one of the most underrated distilleries. For me it excels mostly in bourbon wood, giving it a sweet and fruity profile with tropical hints.
The Whisky Exchange has recently presented a Glentauchers 1997 exclusively bottled for them by Signatory Vintage.
Glentauchers 22 yo 1997 (46,6%, Signatory Vintage for The Whisky Exchange 2019, bourbon cask #4163, 125 btl.)
Nose: quite warm on apples and vanilla custard, hints of marzipan and pears on syrup. Later also slightly tropical hints (very ripe mango). Oily notes. Then some leafy / grassy touches as well as a growing mentholated edge.
Mouth: rather creamy texture, with oranges and apple juice. Melons. Plenty of natural vanilla again. Fresh mint and pink grapefruit after a while. Barley syrup. A little oak spice (white pepper).
Finish: quite long, fruity, with a little green tea, zesty citrus and melons.
The kind of rich Speyside fruitiness that comes with unhurried bourbon maturation, balanced with the right amount of wood. Simply very nice and rather limited. Only available from The Whisky Exchange.