Another Speyside whisky that won an award at the Spirit of Speyside Festival in April 2016. Having only experienced this festival through other peoples tweets and photos, it has gone straight in my diary for next year. It looks like a colourful, fun festival, which is well worth a visit. You can check out the programme as it builds up on this website: www.spiritofspeyside.com
Again, this is another dram that I had the opportunity to try through the Tweet Tasting #Dram16Winners. It was another of interest to me, as it costs less than £30 and I had never tried a single dram from this distillery.
The Glen Grant distillery has been owned by some very interesting people. James “The Major” Grant is one notable owner, who was allegedly the first man in Scotland to own a car and his distillery the first to have an electric light. It is now owned by Campari and is the biggest selling whisky in Italy.
The dram for review today is the Glen Grant 10 Year Old.
Cost: £25-35
Appearance: Barley Wine.
Aroma: Apples, Vanilla and White Sugar. To the nose, this is a traditional pudding of a dram, sitting somewhere between apple pie, classic baked cheesecake and pear crumble. Overall, a nose to inspire a rush of home baking or a return to the family home for pudding.
Taste: Initially this is a very light dram, filled with notes of hay, flower pollen and honey. This part of the dram sits firmly in my mind as a light, breezy dram that captures the mood of a warmer spring day.
As the dram opens out, so the sweetness of honey opens out, coating the mouth. As with most drams, given time this opens out even more and becomes more interesting. With time this sweetness is met by a white, peppery spice. This is the autumnal part of the dram, more spicy, a little darker and dryer.
Its finish is longer than expected, the spice sits and warms towards the back of the mouth. Here is the winter of the dram, the warming wooden fire part. Huddling in the cottage, warming by a stove. Oddly, for me there is also a wooden pencil and rubber note here. Maybe the scoring pencil for the winter game of Scrabble?
Mouthfeel: Light, yet warming.
Overall: Again, another widely drunk dram, but one that I had dismissed as uninteresting and again a dram that gives more than expected. This whisky which is full of sweetness, light spice and toffee. It is easy to drink, pleasant and could be a solid, day after day dram. A whisky for the beginner and for the drinker looking to start a new hobby.
Real Dram Factor: 6.9
More Information: Glen Grant Website
Buy Online: Amazon: Glen Grant 10YO – £29.99 or Master of Malt: Glen Grant 10YO – £29.89