Glentauchers 1981 25 Year Old First Cask Single Cask #1054 (2006) 70cl

Glentauchers 1981 25 Year Old First Cask Single Cask #1054 (2006) 70cl

Glentauchers has become more popular these days since they started to come out of the blend era into the Single Malt era. We love this speyside dram for its fruity character but also its aging grace which is served it seems 15 years old and more for what it develops into.

Those who have tried First Cask variants need little more than this sentence. For those who have not, it is an opportunity to try some of those casks that were picked for their older and woodier taste as well as the extra sprinkle of old musk that many are a huge fan of. It is what we were looking for in the direct fire still ages before steam became the principle method of boiling the spirit.

This was distilled on 11th March 1981 and bottled in 2006.

About Glentauchers

A substantial granite distillery (designed by Charles Doig) on the outskirts of Keith.

Glentauchers’ make has always gone into blends which lie on the lighter side of the flavour spectrum, initially Buchanan’s and Black & White, and these days Ballantine’s. Accordingly, the set up – long ferments, slow distillation – has always been one where flowers have been preferred to earthy weight.

Another member of the ‘1890s gang’, Glentauchers was established in 1898 by James Buchanan & Co. to provide fillings for its Buchanan’s and Black & White blends.

Experiments in ‘continuous pot still distillation’ were trialled here (and at Convalmore) at the start of the 20th century. This involved running a 100% barley mash through an adapted pot still. Production was upped considerably in 1966 when the number of stills increased from the original pair to half a dozen.

Glentauchers was one of the many distilleries which fell foul of the slump in demand in the early 1980s and was mothballed in 1985. It was, somewhat surprisingly at the time, snapped up by one of Diageo’s rivals, Allied Distillers, in 1989 [the Allied estate became part of Chivas Brothers in 2005] when it became a named component of Ballantine’s, although the firm didn’t restart production until 1992.

It is not commonly seen other than as a bottling from Gordon & MacPhail. However, in July 2017 Glentauchers was released as a 15-year-old single malt (alongside expressions from Glenburgie and Miltonduff) under the Ballantine’s brand.

TASTING NOTES

On the nose there is citrus, sweet fruits and nuts. On the palate there is a lovely sweet malty edge. The finish is good and long and has a good mouth-feel.

46% ABV

70cl