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Single Cask Nation Glen Elgin 17 Year Old Review

A stunning late teenage Glen Elgin from a first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry cask, delivering all the nostalgia of Sunday desserts with apple and blackberry crumble, caramelized sugars, and festive spices. This cask strength Speyside perfectly fills the gap for classic sherried single malt enthusiasts.

OVERALL RATING

8
$119
  • Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant with over a decade of experience in whisky retail and online whisky education. Best known for hosting Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, he is dedicated to making whisky accessible and enjoyable by cutting through jargon and complexity.
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Tasting Notes

About:

A stunning, late teenage example of the hard to find Glen Elgin Distillery. Matured in a first fill ex-Oloroso sherry cask this is the perfect single cask to fill in the gaps for your more classic sherried Speyside single malt.
Appearance:
Golden Copper
Nose:
All of the smells of Sunday dessert at the families house. Apple and blackberry crumble with loads of butter and sugar caramelised on top. Blackberry wine, elderflower liqueur, toasted wood, Dairy Milk fruit and nut bars, spiced apples, cinnamon, star anise, Chinese five spice, sherry soaked fruits and then some brighter fruity notes of raspberry and strawberry.
Palate:
Cocoa powder, cigar box spices, more fruity crumble notes with that tang of sweet and sour from baked bramble fruits and brown sugar.

This is really specific, but there’s a fruit cordial in the UK called Vimto and this is that, but with booze now. It’s blackberry, raspberry and red currants with decadent spices and caramelised sugars of many kinds. The alcohol content is very easy to handle. You’d never guess this is close to 60% ABV.
Finish:
Barrel spices and char with more of these heavy caramelised sugars and oils. A slight tang of olive brine and sea salt at the end, mixed in with some soft herbs like sage and rosemary. They link into the drying nature of the whisky that brings that cigar box note around again. Freshly sawn wood and tannic style red wine notes of more red, jammy fruits.
Comments:
The most perfect replacement for an older Macallan or Glenallachie. It’s big, bold in places, fruity and nostalgic of a hot kitchen full of dessert cooking as your Nan downs another few glasses of sherry to get herself to the end. With added water, the intensity of those cigar box spices and the heavier burnt sugar die away, leaving you with this softer, still fruity Glen Elgin that’s a little bit ore restrained.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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