The Glenrothes 18 Year Old Scotch Review

By Emma Briones

Rating: B

Changing the full concept of a brand can be risky, but it sometimes happens, especially when ownership or management changes. The Glenrothes, which is returned to the Edrington Group’s portfolio in 2017 (The Macallan, Highland Park), is seeing a makeover in its brand style with a whole new range: the Soleo Collection.

It is a complicated change, as Glenrothes, a brand built by Berry Bros & Rudd,  was keen on educating consumers on why age is not important for a whisky. They were one of the only two brands that promoted vintage whiskies (the other one, Balblair, just went back to age statements). Through the vintage concept, they’ve been able to produce some great NAS whiskies. Complicating things further is that Berry Bros & Rudd only owned The Glenrothes brand; the actual distillery was in the hands of Edrington, a split dating back to 2010.

The new Soleo collection has turned away from vintages and NAS whiskies, and is instead focused on age statements and Sherry casks. The style is quite similar of what they do at The Macallan (but with a lower price tag). The Glenrothes 18 year old is the fourth expression of the new range, which includes The Glenrothes 10, 12, Maker’s Cut and 25. The Glenrothes 18 year old is a single malt that has been matured for 18 years in a high proportion of first-fill sherry barrels. It is bottled at 43% ABV.

The Scotch
The iconic Glenrothes bottle has not changed for this new range, but it label has, with brighter colors. On the glass, the whisky is dark gold with some amber reflex.

On the nose, Glenrothes 18 Year Old has a strong dark punch, with some dark chocolate and coffee aromas. Slowly, the whisky opens up to bring some fruitier notes to the front, with intense notes of fresh pears and a touch of orange. Quickly followed by a touch of vanilla and marzipan.

On the palate, Glenrothes 18 Year Old is mellow and with a nice body. It starts with sweet vanilla ice cream notes that are quickly followed by darker flavors. There are some dark chocolate and coffee notes, and a touch of peach, pear and orange zest. Slowly, some spicy notes come to the front, with a strong presence of ginger and pepper.

The finish is lengthy, with spicy notes and a slightly bitter touch.

Glenrothes 18 year old is one of the highlights of the new Soleo range, so it is hard to compare this expression with the rest of the range. It is a dark and intense whisky, probably due to the first-fill sherry barrels.

Even though it is quite dark, it is a balanced and rounded whisky, with a really deep profile. Something a little bit different of what we were used to with Glenrothes, but a nice dram to keep in mind.

The Price
Glenrothes 18 year old  is officially available in USA, United Kingdom and Europe. It is retailed at €120 and  £100.