Taster

Nose: Dates. Brown sugar. Caramel.

Palate: Rich. Smooth. Moist fruitcake, slightly burnt on the outside.

Finish: Slight woody bitterness.

Comment: Glen Grant was one of the first malts to be bottled as a single malt, in the days when light-tasting spirits were often filled into heavy sherry casks. I have always felt that this overwhelms the spirit. This example is better balanced than most.

Score: 7.8

Taster

Nose: Heady with an exotic lift. Chocolate, walnut whip, roasted nut. Oaky, but has some style. Water shows nutty, sherried notes.

Palate: A good weight of spirit. Rich and malty with a hint of soot. Pretty thick in the mouth and quite firm in structure. A complex range of flavours.

Finish: Dry and maybe just a little short.

Comment: Here's a rarity: an old Glen Grant in which the spirit hasn't been drowned by the cask.

Score: 8