Glen Albyn 20 Year Old 1977 Signatory

Single malt from Glen Albyn wil not be found in official bottlings. The last semi-official bottling dates back to 2002 in Diageo’s Rare Malts Selection. But you can find some independent bottles left and right. I will put three Glen Albyn next to each other, all three bottled by Andrew Symington’s company Signatory. I will start with this Glen Albyn 20 Year Old from 1977 (the year in which Star Wars arrived in cinemas, just for your information).

The nose is incredibly light. It is all about grass. Both freshly cut grass and a recently sprayed lawn. Wild flowers in the fields too. Very herbal. A light hint of pepper, but all the way in the back. A hint of butter milk and cold tea too. I must say, I am anything but impressed at this point. Wait. Slowly but surely it comes alive. A little bit of citrus, a little bit of vanilla, a little bit of white chocolate and a little bit of oak. Meh.

It is a bit oily and spicy on the palate. A lot sweeter and more expressive than the nose (but that did not take much effort). But it is not very good. Grains, lime and that is about it. Tea, again, that makes it go bitter halfway through.

I do get a surge of sugar and oak in the finish.

What a pity. From ordinary to quite unpleasant. This one can no longer be found, but then that is not something to lose sleep over, is it? Thanks, Chris.

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