Cadenhead’s Glen Grant 21yo
Authentic Collection 2014 release | 49.4% ABV
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
The type of whisky you have a quiet conversation with
An Occasional Lone Wolf
Festival season is upon us. Two weeks ago Dugas held their show in Paris, featuring all of the brands they import and distribute in France. As I finish writing this, a few friends are flying out of Paris. We've just attended Whisky Live, the biggest whisky festival in the world. Yes, you will soon hear about it.
And in about a month, I’ll find myself back in Glasgow for another edition of the Glasgow Whisky Festival weekend, and all of the assorted, happiness-inducing activities that tend to orbit around it. I cannae wait - as they say in the city.
We all know, at least around here, that whisky is a collective endeavour. If I may speak on behalf of the average whisky enjoyer, I think this is perfectly normal. Once you find something that sets your senses alight - something you will happily give up precious time and money for, in the pursuit of learning, tasting and experiencing; one of the natural things to do is to find other people who share the same interest, whether that be whisky or any other ‘hobby’.
That’s why, for us lucky to live someplace where there are other whisky folk, we join a whisky club. Those of us who don’t have this chance then join the online whisky community, watch WhiskyTube, tune in every Thursday to Aqvavitae’s vPub. I’m myself a proud member of a great little Parisian whisky club, and there are few things I enjoy more than a club meeting. The spectre of different people is almost as enriching as the lineup of different whiskies. There is no question, you do learn more about whisky and enjoy it more when sipping it alongside other, invested people.
Yet. Let me, if you please, make a case for sipping alone, in the comfort of your own home.
There are whiskies which will shout at you as soon as you rip the foil. A cask strength peater, for example, or maybe a richly sherried Highland dram. Even a young, bold, refill bourbon-matured whisky can be shouty, with bright fruits and zingy vibrancy. There are other whiskies though, which simply demand a bit more attention than you may be able to give them at a festival or leaning against the bar of your favourite pub. Those tend to be - but not always - well aged, delicate malts, typically matured in refill barrels or butts. Whiskies in which the wood didn’t have much of a say in the flavour profile.
Drams like these express themselves not by kicking the door open and shouting for attention, but rather a little more like the introvert at the back of the class. It’s only by spending time with them that you realise there’s more than meets the eye.
Today’s whisky of choice is such a dram.
Glen Grant. 1993. From a bourbon hogshead.
I seem to really enjoy the whiskies coming out of Rothes and being of the Glen Grant ‘family’. A family of two, that is. You might recall one of my early reviews, of another Cadenhead’s bottling, a Caperdonich this time. I also reviewed another Caperdonich more recently, as part of Decadent Drinks’ July outturn, and I’ve tried a few old Glen Grants and Capers at various whisky shows over the years.
I’ve just told you whisky shows aren’t the best place for whiskies like that to shine, yet while I think this remains true, there’s always that glimpse of wonder that you can catch, even if the deeper mysteries of the dram remain hidden. In any case, I’ve found there’s just something about 20 to 30yo Glen Grants and Caperdonichs which resonate with me.
When I started to get into whisky, it was all about the flavour hooks. I wanted peat, mainly, but also big sherried drams and I wanted it to be as high in ABV as possible. At that time, a whisky like today’s Glen Grant would not have caught my attention one bit. Or rather it would’ve, but I wouldn’t have understood it. It is too subtle.
Yet, as I write these words now, I feel I’m now more equipped and seasoned as a whisky sipper to decipher what it has to offer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no guru, but I slowly learnt to appreciate subtler drams. So much so that now, mature, refill, distillate driven whiskies are in fact my preference.
Some say we all arrive here, eventually.
Review
Glen Grant 1993 21yo, Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection, bottled October 2014, bourbon hogshead, 132 bottles, natural colour, non chill-filtered, 49.4% ABV
£94 paid at auction (while the prices were still crazy)
This bottle was part of my first-ever auction haul, and consequently one of the first bottles I owned with a 20+ age statement. I bought it in December 2023, and have been nursing it ever since. I had never tried Glen Grant prior to buying it, but the bids were so low that I couldn’t resist placing my own.
The first time I opened it, I immediately loved it and soon realised it would be one of my favourites among all the open bottles. So I diligently shoved it to the back of the cabinet, deciding to only enjoy a dram of it from time to time. It’s been a while now since I’ve poured it and, as the level is nearing the last quarter, it is time to immortalise it in written form before the last sip is had.
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
The type of whisky you have a quiet conversation with
Nose
Lemon sherbet. Bergamot. Lemongrass and a hint of raspberry. Buttery cookies alongside some cooked apples. Lemon glazing. Ice cream whiffs. Malty lemon cookies. Orange juice. Sponge cake.
With water: Slightly creamier and sweeter. Croissant. Banana bread in another room. Ever so slightly floral. Delicate petrol-y wafts, like a taut riesling.
Palate
Light and creamy. The ABV, even accidental, is perfect. Lots of pastries and sweet citrus. Still a little texture. Bakery in the morning. Dry biscuits (the British kind!). Fruity, yet taut and restrained. A sense of purity.
With water: Much creamier texture. Slightly sweeter, echoing the nose, with plain glazing and concentrated milk. Still malty and precise at the core.
The Dregs
There are rare drams like that which are especially enjoyed in solitude. They’re akin to paintings in museums that make you sit down in silence for 30 minutes. They stand out specifically thanks to their subtleties. Subtleties that would likely get drowned out by peat or funk or sherry influence at a wider whisky tasting.
This is made for the living room. It has the power to distort time. 3cl of this will last you an hour, maybe even more. It is gorgeous. It won’t last though. 132 bottles. 131 now. This was distilled 32 years ago, travelled through at least three countries, and countless eyes have surely looked in its direction along the way. Yet its journey ends here and now. In my living room, with only me as company. I’m glad.
With a dram like that, one must pair an accordingly contemplative piece of music. Let’s play Suture Up Your Future by Queens Of The Stone Age, from their Alive in the catacombs album.
Score: 8/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. AF
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