Glen Garioch 7 Year Old, 2012-2019, Hand-filled, Missouri oak first fill barrel no. 1363, Bottle no. 74, 61.6% abv.
This is part of the American Trilogy collection, where Garioch distillate was aged in casks made from Kentucky, Missouri, and Minnesota oak. Poured from a sample of a Glen Garioch tasting in 2022.
Nose: honey, melted raisins, background of chocolate and caramel, sweet syrupy cake, hint of sawdust. Good elements but "boring" for some reason.
Palate: medium to full body, initial palate has a typical syrup, light paper, mid palate shows more wood, a sort of cognac-like oil, back to paper, hint of apples, hint of red berries, mostly old wax and chocolate though, back palate shows crayons, rich caramel oil, chocolate souffle. Nothing seems to mix well.
Finish: medium to long, slightly drying, an eclectic mix of wood, old chocolate, and a heavy cooking oil, hints of mint here and there.
Almost typical whisky... almost. The aromas were good, the flavors were good, the finish was the most exciting part. Finish is more transparent that the palate. Nothing exceptional unfortunately. I do however like how the mix of chocolate oil permeates each phase, sort of like an overburnt dessert pastry. Drinks lighter than 61% and definitely better than a majority of the 7 year old Scotches out there.
Image courtesy of Eric Yee.
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