A Saturday threesome with Glen Grant

Glen Grant is a very interesting whisky because it is one of those malts which you can easily follow throughout (modern) whisky history. Of course, there are some incredibly old whisky’s released for the happy few by themselves and also independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, but I am not talking about those. 

Thanks to Italian importers who brought Glen Grant to their home market, there is still often a chance to find something that was produced in the old days. Which, for us in 2024, is around the 1960s and 1970s I suppose. Via a sample network I got my hands on two Glen Grants from square bottles, and then I remembered I had one in the drawer that would make a perfect lineup of 8 – 12 – 15 years old Glen Grant. So we have them in one go. Enjoy!

Glen Grant 8 years old, bottled at 40 % abv by Gordon & MacPhail for SEIBA Import

Makeup: Probably bottled in the early 1970s. Rectangular bottle, short neck. I don’t know how big the batches were in those days. Same goes for the following bottles.

General impressions: Summery fresh. Walking through an oranges orchard in Spain. Or Italy, since we aim for that market here and Italy turns out to be the 10th biggest oranges producing country in the world. In short, this Glen Grant is a fruity beast. The smells are amazing, even at 40 % and after such a long time in glass. I feel almost inclined to go wash my hands, as if I just peeled a tangerine. The taste is a bit weaker, but it does not taste young. The fruit is there, but there is also some cardboard and dustiness. Even a bit of a metallic side, but it's not really disturbing.

Conclusion: It's an entertaining blast from the past. Fragile but fruity in a way you don't come across often. Beautiful!

Score: 82 points
Disclaimer: from a sample I bought in a Dutch sample group.

Glen Grant 12 years old, bottled at 43 % abv by Gordon & MacPhail for Giovinetti Import

Makeup: Probably bottled in the early 1970s. Rectangular bottle, short neck.

General impressions: Just a slightly higher abv compared to the previous glass, 43 % now. The smells are more or less the same. But there is an extra element of malt and wood that reminds you that this is actually whisky. The GG8 was more an orange juice infused with alcohol. Also on the taste we find a dry note from malted barley. The casks in which this GG12 was matured were not very dominant. We get a good impression of the Glen Grant spirit as it was distilled in the 1960s. Really lovely, creamy, just a bit drying where one would expect more of a juicy character.

Conclusion: The GG12 also has a metallic note in it. The 50 odd years in the glass were difficult for these very diluted whisky. You get an impression of the potential, but you have got to realize no one in those days made these expressions thinking a nerd would be sipping the stuff in 2024.

Score: 84 points
Disclaimer: from a sample I bought in a Dutch sample group.

Glen Grant 15 years old, bottled at 57 % abv by Gordon & MacPhail

Makeup: Probably bottled somewhere in the 1970s or early 1980s. Tall bottle with a screw cap.

General impressions: So, luckily, we have a high strength back up from the own drawer. But this is a totally different animal, much oilier and heavier to digest, even with some notes of vinegar. I also think there is more cask variation involved in the creation of this Glen Grant. Not only because the colour is darker. What all three samples have in common is that metallic note, so I guess that is something to be found in Glen Grant bottled in this era.

One thing is for sure, none of them are boring. After adding a little water, the GG15 gives away more sherried notes. I taste sweet raisins, (European) oak and clove. Strangely enough the alcohol becomes more fiercely noticeable with a little diluting. This is a fighter.

Conclusion: An interesting session with whisky that was a stronghold 50 years ago. Modern-day Glen Grant does not seduce me very often, but this stuff could. Still, the OBE (old bottle effect) was more against these samples than enhancing them. Despite that, we still tasted delicious old juice.

Score: 88 points
Disclaimer: sample acquired through membership of a Blind Tasting Bottle Club.

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