Glen Grant 50 Year Old Gordon & MacPhail TWE Exclusive

Nose

Ripped panettone dipped in nutmeg and brown sugar to start, with higher notes of sugar flowers and sharp, sappy green grass following. Spicier notes emerge from below, with soft oak and dusty cupboards paired with cinnamon cereal and white toast spread with floral honey. Butterscotch notes build after a few minutes in the glass, along with flashes of green wood and fruit – wine gums and ripe mango.

Palate

Layers of sweet flaky pastry lead, sandwiching melted brown sugar, sharp oak and sour apple. As that fades, it is replaced by old-forest rancio, with hints of bark, damp earth and freshly fallen autumn leaves. The sweetness calms, giving a rich and savoury centre, before rallying and leading a charge of baked apples and cinnamon sweets.

Finish

Spice dies slowly, revealing old polished oak, sweet biscuits and scraped vanilla pods.

Comment

A surprisingly fresh nose leads into a long-aged dram, run through with balanced sweet and savoury notes, and the complexity that only comes from careful maturation over many years.

Wonderful rancio tones with milk chocolate and dark fruit.

A luxurious and weighty palate with complex spice and raisins notes culminating in a long and juicy finish.