Merry Christmas! We’re celebrating with two Glen Grant single malts distilled in the 1950s. This was a time when sherry casks were mostly transport casks, as well as ‘local’ casks that contained proper sherry. Most importers created their own blend in the UK, from Oloroso and PX components that arrived separately. Back then sherry could still be sold directly from the barrel in pubs or shops.
Since 1793, Avery’s of Bristol has built a reputation as one of the UK’s most pioneering wine merchants. The reputation of their whisky bottlings is certainly high too. Bristol was the center of sherry wine import in the 18th and 19th century, famous for its Bristol Milk and later Bristol Cream style. Together with Harvey’s, Mackenzie, Wisdom & Warter or Duff Gordon, Avery’s sold loads of sherry – in 1864 almost 50% of the total wine imports to England were sherry. As a side effect they ended up with plenty of well-seasoned sherry casks.
I tried this from a bottle opened by Angus McRaild. Heartfealt thanks!
Glen Grant 13 yo 1959 (75 proof, Avery’s 1972, Spanish oak casks, 26 2/3 Fl. Ozs)
Nose: lovely deep sherry indeed. A lot of black raisins, dates and figs, various honeys and high-end tobacco. Hints of coffee flavoured toffee, some meaty tones and caramelized walnuts. Then also old herbal liqueurs and even a sweet medicinal note. Wet soil and eucalyptus in the distance. I would have thought the ABV was higher, such is the intensity and richness.
Mouth: like a good Cream sherry, with all the sweet goodness of treacle, blackberry jam, forest fruits and raisins. It shows a great (dark) fruitiness and vibrance along with drier, meaty notes and more of these herbal liqueurs. Then back to cassis (big time), hints of dark chocolate, old Maury or Rivesaltes, before moving towards even darker hints of roasted walnuts, salted ganache and sweet coffee liqueur. There’s a faint OBE note of shoe polish too.
Finish: long long, with thick Armagnac soaked raisins, more chocolate and coffee.
The most Christmasy whisky I’ve had in a long time! A very thick, dark sherry profile that is probably a bit closer still to a proper old sherry than other whiskies from that era. As if someone poured in Cream sherry until the balance was just right. What a treat!
Gordon & MacPhail also released some of these sherry bombs from Glen Grant, but this time we’re pairing it with a slightly different releases. A 1957 bottled in 2011, far lighter in colour although it says first-fill sherry butt on the label. I believe this was re-released a couple of years ago, as part of a series with a premium green case.
Glen Grant 1957 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail 2011, first-fill sherry butt #3485, 645 btl.)
Nose: also excellent, despite the absence of sherry. Much more on herbal honey, with yellow fruit jams, like apricot and yellow plum. Then herbal notes come out (sweet thyme syrup) with walnut cake and lightly browned sugar. Maybe a hint of dried banana. Some oily notes underneath, as well as some candied orange peels, pipe tobacco and mild black peppercorns.
Mouth: light and slightly fragile, in the sense that the age starts shining through. Instead of dark fruits we get really nice hints of tobacco leaves and herbal tea, along with mint leaves and caramelized nuts. Sweet barley and hay, as well as tangerines and dried citrus. Then mid-palate white pepper gets stronger, along with toasted oak and chestnuts, always rounded by a generous dollop of herbal honey. Perhaps a very light smoky / tarry edge as well.
Finish: quite long, more spicy now, with the kind of apple / hay / pepper combination that is not uncommon in Fino sherry. Still rather sweet and honeyed.
Totally different from the Averys bottle. Isn’t it wonderful that sherry casks can go into such opposite directions? This 1957 is very elegant and rounded, with more of the innate barley sweetness and herbal honey shining through. Both really good, but this one looses a point or two because of the slightly crumbled structure. Score: 91/100