Glenugie 1977 Vintage G&M

Glenlochy is an often overlooked lost highlander from Fort William, a town that could at one time boast three distilleries, but now only runs on one. Though some of the buildings have been preserved, her bottles now rarely hit the shelves and I doubt that many casks made their way into independent market. Closed in 1983, it is one of the Highland gems, true and original in style, and only a few have tried it. The one that I’m opening today is a 1977 Vintage edition from Gordon&MacPhail. It’s impossible to tell from the bottle how old it is, though the orange-red markings on the Connoisseurs Choice label allow us to identify it as an early 90’s release. So I am going to presume it is the 23yo version bottled in 1994.

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Description: distilled in 1977 released as a vintage in 1994 by G&M, presumably 23yo, cask unknown.

Nose: fresh at first: ceder citrus soap, and tea, a light wood smoke enters the game and suddenly I notice a mouldy damp basement smell in the background.

Mouth: What is this? No trace of the previous freshness. Only a thick waxy glutinous body, on the palate only bulky notes of old wood, caramel and espresso coffee, I imagine this is what licking a railway sleeper tastes like.

Finish: light and peppery caramelised notes.

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Verdict: interesting but overall little memorable, ask me again in a year or so and I wouldn’t be able to tell you the general outlines of this dram. Just a warning, do not add water, it instantly brakes down into a peppery mess.

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