The Whisky Agency included this Glenrothes 1989 in its Winter 2020 releases. I find it hard to place Glenrothes these days, they’re not a big name, not hyped in any way, but some of the old refill casks are certainly worth discovering.
Glenrothes 31 yo 1989 (44,4%, The Whisky Agency 2020, hogshead, 268 btl.)
Nose: oranges, apples and quinces, with dried flowers and hay. Hints of almonds, a little candle wax and sunflower oil. Quite a natural, distillate-driven style. Flashes of honeysuckle and vanilla. Some polished oak with a nice hoppy edge.
Mouth: nicely oily. It’s not very potent but the whole middle is full of nice orchard fruits, say quinces, gooseberries, maybe tangerine as well, with a little floral honey underneath. Mirabelles. Some plain barley notes, herbal tea and mint towards the end, all very mild and superbly balanced.
Finish: quite long, on sweet citrus and subtle grassy notes.
Very good stuff, nuanced and balanced. A great ‘modest’ cask, so to speak, but a beautiful outcome. Still a few bottles out there.