Glenrothes 25 Year Old Soleo Collection

The 25 Year Old Glenrothes from the Soleo Collection is the oldest that is still affordable for mortal man, with a price tag – still hefty, to be sure – of around 300 EUR. The next one in the series is their 40 Year Old which will set you back some 3.000 EUR, so count your blessings. This 25 years old malt matured on sherry casks – hence Soleo, because that hints at the sun of Andalusia, where the casks are sourced.

Ooh, that’s a delicious nose. Tropical fruit like oranges and quite a bit of pineapple, overripe bananas and blueberries. This is followed by freshly squeezed orange juice, plums and sniffing tobacco. Rose petal, cassis and a handful of nuts. If you give it your time (which I did), you’ll even discover some salted caramel, rose water and the juice of a pomelo. Very good!

Good body. The sweet fruit is immediately supported by a lovely spiciness with cloves and nutmeg in the lead, followed by liquorice, vanilla and cardamom. This is quite nice. Evolves towards leather with a pinch of salt and chewing tobacco in the mix. Mildly drying towards the end.

Good finish as well. While not very long, there is a lot going on. Leather, tobacco, plum marmalade, woodsmoke, sunflower oil and the juice of blood oranges.

Compex and impressive Glenrothes if you take your time with it. It’s the evolution in the glass that makes me sit on the edge of my seat. Thanks, Timon, for the sample.

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