Glenlossie 24 year old 1993 Cadenhead single cask

The Glens continue with Glenlossie, Mannochmore's older sibling, and another one of Diageo's malt-for-blends machines. It's often found in Johnnie Walker and Haig recipes, but very rarely as its own single malt. The spirit has a (theoretically) soft grassy and fruity style, which is a plus for my palate. Today's whisky spent 24 years in a hogshead and has an unoaked Chardonnay hue, so I'm cautiously optimistic here...

pic from whiskybase

Distillery: Glenlossie
Ownership: Diageo
Independent Bottler: Cadenhead

Range: Single Cask

Age: 24 years (1993 - Oct 2018)

Maturation: hogshead
Outturn: 240 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 53.6%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Sure enough, the nose has fruits. Apples, pears, apricots and cantelope, to be more specific. Pilsner and butterscotch. Wet grass after the rain and a hint of ocean brine. Hay, apricots, orange juice and a sprinkle of salt start the palate, followed by cantelope, barley, burlap, honey and late harvest sauvignon blanc. It finishes with a nice simple combination of honey, apricots, melons and salt.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

On the nose, it reads like Glenfiddich's cousin with its pears and grass. Ginger, orange candy and heather arrive later on. Mildly grassy, sweet and tart, the palate holds onto the melons, citrus and pears; and that's exactly how it finishes.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This single quality hoggie held onto the spirit notes almost halfway into the third decade of maturation without leaving the whisky raw or hot, resulting in my favorite Glenlossie so far. This could be a great spring or summer whisky, especially thanks to the lovely nose. I preferred it undiluted, but perhaps a little more or less water could bring out an even cleaner style. Hopefully there are more Glenlossie casks like this!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 88