In 1964 Inver House Distillers built a grain distillery on the industrial estate Moffat at Airdrie, some 20 kilometers east of Glasgow. The grain whisky would be called Garnheath. But like at many grain distilleries at the time, some pot stills were installed, to produce three types of malt as well: Glen Flagler, Killyloch and Islebrae. The last one was never bottled, the first two were. But obviously they are very hard to find, knowing that the distillery was closed already in 1985. Fast forward to 2019 and a buddy in Holland discovers a few cases of Glen Flagler 5 Year Old. I was able to get my hands on two. I’m pretty happy with that. It’s only the second Glen Flagler I taste!

Admittedly, it needed to breathe for fifteen minutes to allow some OBE to evaporate. I really feared this malt would be kaput after almost 50 years in the bottle, but that fear was unwarranted. It is very much alive & kicking, spring fresh and textbook Lowland. Lemongrass, vanilla, apples and some umami note that I can only describe as a fresh slice of roast beef. Nice!

Despite the low ABV and short maturation time, it has a lovely body, is mildly piquant on white pepper and shows a beautiful minty freshness. Again spring fruit. Think lemons, gooseberries and a single date. Some pastry with apricots. Surprisingly good.

The finish is medium long and even becomes a tad creamy. What a pleasant surprise!

Ah, liquid history and lovely to boot. This makes me very happy. Thanks, Jan!