Here is a whisky I have been familiar with for a while - The Glenrothes Select Reserve. I was introduced to this by a friend a few years back and I have maintained a relationship with it since. The bottle is unmistakable: a short, fat, stubby bottle about half as tall as a 'regular' bottle of scotch and twice the width. If you purchase it outside of a pub it comes packed as you see above, encased in a box (the distiller calls it a frame for the bottle, I like that). The label is interesting; it is a minimalist label which, for the most part, offers tasting notes for you. The Select Reserve's label describes the character as "Ripe Fruits, Citrus, Vanilla, Hints of Spice". The label consists basically of just the notes, the vintage, and the distiller and Malt Master's signatures. When I tended bar I kept a bottle on the shelf (mostly for me and my friends) but in a bar setting the dimensions of the bottle proved to be a little inconvenient. The other bottles towered over it, making it hard to spot from the bar and the width of it meant that it was always precariously placed on the shelf, threatening to crash to the floor at any moment. It does, however, look absolutely terrific on my desk at home.
The distillery, located in the Speyside region in the city of Rothes, was founded in 1879 by James Stuart and Co. (James eventually left to focus on Macallan, another one of their distilleries, leaving the three other members that constituted the 'Co.' to run Glenrothes). The distillery is large, boasting ten operational stills. An interesting piece of information about The Glenrothes is that they do not bottle their whisky by age, they bottle it by vintage. The Select Reserve that I am reviewing is different, the Malt Master chooses what to bottle so it is not a predetermined vintage, but the majority of the whisky offered by Glenrothes is not marked by an age but marked instead with a year (1988, 1991, etc.). This is because they believe that whisky does not necessarily mature at a certain age, they wait until they feel that the whisky is ready. The distillery even has a ghost story.
The whisky is a medium gold in color with nice, thick legs. I enjoy thicker whisky so when I see that, I perk up a bit. The nose was at first strong with alcohol but, for the most part, dissipated quickly. The longer I let it sit in my glass the more the nose opened up, revealing a rich aroma. I spent a little longer than usual nosing because of this; every time I went back to it the aroma had opened up even more. The lack of peat smoke meant that I was able to pull more out of the nose but what dominated for me was vanilla and, of all things, plum. The mouth feel was thick as the legs had led me to expect. The taste is rich and sweet. Focusing on it I tasted citrus and spice more than anything else, but I felt I could barely pull out the "ripe fruit" the label mentioned if I thought on it. The whiskey 'burn' was negligible, enhancing the overall pleasantness of the tasting. The aftertaste lingered, but it was very low-key. I could feel the thickness of it remain for a moment as well.
Rating: 4.25 out of a possible 5 Casks
Reason: Going down the list, this whisky begins with an interesting bottle and I appreciate the approach The Glenrothes takes to their label. It is a nice courtesy to the whisky drinker to put some tasting notes right there on the bottle. The aroma, once it opened up, was full-bodied. The same richness was reflected in the taste of the whisky. I always enjoy a good, thick whisky and this did not disappoint. The rich flavor is a bit of a challenge to deconstruct, but good nonetheless. There is a reason I pick up a bottle of this every few months, it is a great whisky to have while relaxing or while working late. This is definitely a scotch for later in the day. For around $50 per bottle this Speyside is a great choice, if you're fortunate enough to find it in a pub you'll probably pay around $7-$9 per glass.
Cheers,
Charles
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