The Wu Dram Clan prefers bourbon casks or refill sherry, so when they select a heavy first-fill sherry cask, they have our attention. And yours too, apparently, as almost 700 of bottles sold out in a matter of hours.
This Glen Grant 2000 comes from Signatory Vintage. It is a sister cask of #1 which was bottled for The Whisky Exchange.
Glen Grant 23 yo 2000 (57,3%, Signatory Vintage for Wu Dram Clan 2023, first fill sherry finish, cask #4, 693 btl.)
Nose: very dark, mixing dried figs, prunes and dates with earthy hints and subtle meaty notes. It reminds us of the forgotten sherry brandies that we tried at Osborne a few weeks ago. Thick molasses, dark chocolate and tobacco but also blackberry jam and hints of dried currants. Actual Pedro Ximénez as well. Then hazelnut paste and loads of walnuts. While I can’t compare them head-to-head, I would say this is more heavyweight than the TWE cask.
Mouth: very dark and intense again. Plenty of dark chocolate (with a pinch of salt), with hints of arrope, blackberries and herbal syrups. Fudge or treacle. Mint candy, prunes, rum soaked raisins and cinnamon pastry. Then candied ginger and brown sugar, with more walnuts and some heat of crushed peppercorns. Active wood. If you choose sherry, go all the way, right?
Finish: long and intense, with tobacco leaves, some spicy dryness, walnuts, dark honey and some coffee hints.
A very intense sherry cask that is similar to the TWE release. However, the oak seems a little louder and it lacks a bit of the bright fruitiness on the nose, so it finishes one step behind its sister.