The Glenrothes Distillery Moves From Vintages To Age Statements

Scotland’s The Glenrothes distillery has long been known for the vintage statements they put on their Scotch whisky bottles, which is a marked departure from the much more typical age statement expressions. Times and trends change, however, and now the distillery team here has made the fateful decision to go the age statement route across their core line up.

The new The Glenrothes Soleo Collection, according to those behind it, is the new core standard for the distillery and replaces both the Vintages and Reserves. It is said that while the product range is changing in the coming months, “the unrivaled quality and extraordinary character of the distillery remain the same. As ever, sherry-seasoned oak casks will continue to define The Glenrothes. Close to 90 percent of the casks currently maturing at the distillery have previously held sherry, with an astonishing 70 percent of these being the highly prized first-fill sherry casks.”

“The Glenrothes is a true craft single-malt,” said Gordon Motion, The Glenrothes master whisky maker, in a prepared statement. “Taking things back to a vital yet simple natural process, this new collection allows us to tell a vital part of the story that hasn’t before been highlighted in this way. We believe in sharing the inspiring detail in how and why we create the whiskies we do. The Soleo Collection does exactly that; making these fantastic new whiskies is testament to our commitment to craftsmanship and quality.”

Plans call for five new whiskeys to be part of the Soleo Collection, named after a traditional process of sun drying Spanish grapes before pressing them to make sherry. These new bottlings are indicated below, along with price and some official limited tasting notes. They all should be making their way to retail now.

• 10 YEARS OLD (40% ABV): A delicate and more subtle style of single malt, with notes of vanilla, shortbread and citrus peel. RRP $45 USD
• 12 YEARS OLD (40% ABV): The epitome of the distillery style, with notes of vanilla, melon and cinnamon. RRP $55 USD
• WHISKY MAKER’S CUT (48.8% ABV): Inspired and shaped by the hand of master whisky maker Gordon Motion, using only first-fill sherry-seasoned casks and bottled at his preferred strength. Vanilla, orange peel and nutmeg character. RRP $75 USD
• 18 YEARS OLD (43% ABV): A complex and well-rounded expression with a vanilla, pear and fresh-ginger character. RRP $130 USD
• 25 YEARS OLD (43% ABV): Winner of the Chairman’s Trophy Award for Best Speyside Single Malt at the 2018 Ultimate Spirits Competition. Rich and intense, this expression delivers heady woody notes with a character defined by salted caramel, mango and coriander seeds. RRP $500 USD