Unless you’re a seasoned Scotch whisky sipper, there’s a solid chance you’ve never heard of Glenglassaugh. But it's time to get to know it, because the under-heralded single malt producer has just released some of its oldest expressions to date.
The Serpentine Coastal Cask Collection comprises a trio of whiskies, ranging from 48 to 51 years in age. Though it might be challenging to utter the maker’s name (Glen-glass-ah), it’s all too easy to enjoy these liquids. Indeed, they might be the best values in ultra-aged whiskies we’ve encountered all year. Here’s what they taste like and how much you’ll have to pay to uncork them.
Glenglassaugh’s house style is typified by tropical fruit and maritime brine. Each of the these three old-timers amplifies said tones in dramatic fashion, relying on its own special cooperage to create a unique result.
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48 Years Old is a bronze-tinted whisky that spent decades (it began aging on May 28, 1974) maturing in barriques formerly used to age sweet Tuscan dessert wine. It noses with over-ripened orchard fruit and coats the palate in salted taffy. A slow and steady finish exposes lychee in its velvety 46.1 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) body. It's priced at $7,700.
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A little over a year older, 49 Years Old is four percentage points lower in ABV. So it wafts smoother when you admire its aromatics in the snifter. Coconut characteristics are quickly discernible and follow through onto the tongue without any overlaid spice or burn. The tropical essence enjoyed here is owed to an aging in ex-bourbon casks. Find it at retail for $8,800 a bottle.
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Though older whisky doesn’t always equate to better whisky, it’s hard to argue with the supremacy of the full-bodied 51 Years Old, the elder statesman of the bunch. It came of age in an oloroso sherry puncheon and amassed the telltale signs of such cooperage: raisins, dates, plums, stewed cherries, and a bit of balsamic vinegar. Bottled at 44.2 percent ABV, it sells for $11,000. And while that might sound steep—okay, yeah, it is steep—we challenge you to find any other 50-plus-year-old bottle of Scotch for under $20,000.
This isn’t just any old whisky, either.
“The legacy of our most sought-after casks dates back to the 1970s when these liquids were first laid down, harnessing rich natural color and character,” says Glenglassaugh’s master blender, Rachel Barrie, the same acclaimed craftswoman responsible for GlenDronach and Benriach single malts. “It is extremely rare to find casks that have been left to mature in coastal locations for such a long period, and our warehouses, perched on cliffs overlooking Sandend Bay, have acted as the custodians of this old and rare liquid for over five decades.”
As we alluded to before, Glenglassaugh is almost criminally underrated. It holds respectable pedigree stretching back to the late 1800s. Its master blender is one of the most celebrated malt makers in the industry. And its terroir is as stunning to sip as it is to see in person. To wit, the new releases actually take their name from serpentine marble permeating the seaside cliffs not far beyond the distillery walls. Scotch fans who don't dive into this liquid are sorely missing out. Their loss is your gain.
Related: Best Sherry Bomb Single Malt Scotch Whiskies
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