Glenglassuagh Sandend Scotch Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Glenglassaugh’s location has its interesting features, starting with where it fits into the traditional regions of Scotch whisky. It’s so close to the boundary dividing Speyside from the Highlands that one wonders if the reason the eastern border of Speyside was placed as it is was not to exclude it (more likely, it’s due to the distillery’s purchase by Highland Distillers in the 1890s). Another geographical feature is its place on the east end of Sandend Bay, leading out onto the Moray Firth Coast. It’s that feature that gives its name to this single malt, the Glenglassaugh Sandend Single Malt.

Dubbed a “coastal malt,” Sandend is drawn from bourbon, oloroso sherry and manzanilla sherry casks, with manzanilla being a special touch. Manzanilla sherry casks are rarely seen in the Scotch industry, it being a dry, white sherry known for its chamomile, almonds and dough flavors. In a probably intentional parallel, Manzanilla is made by the Atlantic Ocean, and is sometimes referred to as “coastal sherry.” Another distinguishing feature is that Sandend was bottled at a (for Scotch) potent 50.5% ABV. This is also a no age statement single malt.

The Scotch
Despite the strength of the whisky, Sandend pours as a pale straw liquid into the glass. The nose has a core of baked apples, but with extra ginger and a pinch of cloves in the pie spices used to season that dish up, and sweetened with honey and juice squeezed from a tangerine instead of brown sugar. The flavor turns away from fruit and towards honey-sweetened ginger cookies, accented by a current of dry wood (driftwood?). The finish jinks toward an even milder note, fading away as barn-dried tobacco.

The Price
This new offering from Glenglassaugh fetches $70 a bottle, and it’s a very fair price considering both the  quality and strength of the contents.