Glen Grant 1972 (Private Stock)

Like its neighbour Caperdonich, 1972 is a great year for Glen Grant. Usually Duncan Taylor is one the best sources for this vintage from both distilleries. A couple of great casks have recently been bottled by The Whisky Agency as well.

Glen Grant 39 yo 1972 (51,4%, The Whisky Agency ‘Private Stock’ 2011, sherry cask, 87 btl.)

Nose: heavenly. Truly heavenly. Lots of fruity sherry notes: dried apricots, dates, prunes and raspberry jam but also more tropical notes of banana liqueur and pineapple. Very jammy, with lots of honey. Hints of vanilla. Big notes of beeswax and pollen. And wonderful oak polish. And milk chocolate. And marshmallows. Simply exquisite.

Mouth: very thick again with rich flavours. Fruit jam all over. Creamy chocolate again. Spices, especially nutmeg and mint. There are quite some oak tannins and dry hints of herbal tea, in fact a bit too much for me. I had this at 93/100 at first, but the more I sipped, the more I was bothered by the wood.

Finish: long, oaky and spicy, with all kinds of teas.

The nose is near perfect for me. If only it were a little less woody on the palate… I’m thinking the Glen Grant 1972 we selected at the Spirits in the Sky festival (to be bottled in the near future) is slightly better in this respect. Around € 230. As often with the Private Stock releases, hard to find (no wonder, only 87 bottles).

Score: 91/100