The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Kurt Maitland
Rating: A-
Gordon & MacPhail Glentauchers 16 Year Old
(Credit: Gordon & MacPhail)
The Glentauchers is a Speyside Scottish whisky distillery founded in 1897 by James Buchanan (the creator of the ‘Black & White’ and ‘Buchanan’ blends, not the 1850s U.S. President) and whisky trader W. P Lowrie of Glasgow. Lowrie didn’t last long in the mix but the distillery and its spirit continued, primarily for use in blends. It was mothballed by United Distillers in 1985, and then sold to Allied Distillers in 1989. Allied was later acquired by Pernod Ricard. Whisky from this distillery is rarely released in the single malt format, with the only recent example being an official bottling of a 15 Year Old released in 2000.
Yet there are independent bottlings available, primarily a semi-official bottling released by Gordon & MacPhail in the 1990s, such as the 16 Year Old, 43% abv version described here.
The Scotch
Color: Pale Gold
Nose: A musky perfume of fruits and cereals.
Taste: Fruity with an underlying cereal taste, with a viscous mouthfeel. Sweet with a salty, tangy turning spicy at the end.
Finish: Tangy and peppery finish that lasts for a good long while.
With Water, the sweetness gets a little chalky, the tanginess gets cut back and the spicy finish flattens out. When I originally tasted this release I thought that it was tasting but I probably couldn’t make this an everyday dram. However the more I’ve tasted this release, the more its mix of sweetness and pepper spiciness pulls me in. That makes it a worthwhile edition to one’s collection
The Price
This release runs between $60 and $80 US. It’s a bottle worth looking for and even with the range of pricing, it’s still a bargain for a 16 year old release.
