Category Archives: Glen Elgin

Glen Elgin 10, 2007 (SMWS 85.49)

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On Monday I had a review of a Braes of Glenlivet/Braeval. Speyside week continues now with another relatively obscure distillery: Glen Elgin. This is only my third review of a Glen Elgin, which may be reliable indicator of how little Glen Elgin is generally available in the American market. It was bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at the tender age of 10 from a first-fill bourbon barrel. That combination of age and cask type sets off some warning bells but hopefully the whisky will rise above. The venerable society named this one “Aloha!”. I’m not sure what the reason for that is but at least it fits with my ongoing food reports from Hawaii, Okay, let’s get to it.

[Actually, before I get to it, I should note that this Speyside week might well grind to a halt with this Glen Elgin. This because I had not—as I thought I had—taken notes on the third whisky of the set before leaving for Ireland, where I’ve been for a week now on work. I get back home tonight but jet lag may keep me from having the wherewithal to review anything till the end of the week. Let’s see how it goes.] Continue reading →

Glen Elgin 15, 1988, Manager’s Dram

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Glen Elgin 15, 1988, Manager's Dram
Here is another unpeated whisky to close the month and it is also another from one of Diageo’s better received series: the Manager’s Dram. I’ve not had too many of these, as they came out before I was drinking single malt whisky (and the prices of what remains went past the reach of my wallet before I’d begun to venture past the easily available).

There were two releases of Glen Elgin in the Manager’s Dram series, one a 16 yo released in 1993 and this one, a 15 yo released in 1988 (I was just starting college then!).  I acquired this sample as part of a bottle split, which is probably now the only way for me to drink many whiskies of this reputation/price—I can’t spring for full bottles at current prices but I can talk myself into thinking that the price for 30 or 60 ml represents good value. Let’s see if that turns out to be true in this case!   Continue reading →

Glen Elgin 24, 1990 (Signatory for K&L)

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Glen Elgin 24, 1990 (Signatory for K&L)
Here is the fourth of my four timely reviews of recent Signatory exclusives for K&L. Well, not entirely timely I guess: while the Imperial, Blair Athol and this Glen Elgin are still available, the Benrinnes is sold out.

Glen Elgin is another of the many distilleries of the Speyside with whose malt I don’t have a terrible lot of experience—in fact, this is the first I’ve reviewed on the blog. There’s not much available from it officially and in the US there’s not a whole lot available of it from the indies either. As such, this is another that I cannot really place in the context of the distillery’s usual profile. But I am curious to see if this turns out to be another of K&L’s selections of 20+ yo whisky that doesn’t actually display very many of the characteristics people associate with older whisky. Let’s see.  Continue reading →