1770 Glasgow Mac Y 25th Jubile Release Single Malt Scotch Whisky 50 cl 55,3%

Twenty-five years as a Danish whisky importer deserves more than a speech. Mac Y picked a peated cask from Glasgow that had spent its final months in Ruby Port and marked the anniversary with 482 half bottles. Smoke and red fruit in one glass. There is a reason that cask was chosen.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow Mac Y 25th Jubile Release is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a 1st fill ex-bourbon cask and finished in a Ruby Port barrique, bottled at 55.3% in 50 cl format. Cask 17/803 was distilled on 12 October 2017 and bottled on 4 November 2021, yielding 482 bottles.

The spirit is peated, and that matters: Glasgow Distillery only runs peated malt for part of the year, so the volume is limited from the outset. The bourbon cask laid down vanilla and coconut, and the Ruby Port cask stacked red fruit and sweetness on top. That combination gives the whisky its unusual balance of sweet smoke and berries.

The bottling was created for Mac Y’s 25th anniversary in September 2021, and the whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sweet peat smoke first, close to a toasted marshmallow held near a fire pit. Then rich chocolate cake, freshly planed oak and a note of rolling tobacco. Further back sit cracked leather and a hint of preserved cherry.

Palate

Rich and smooth. Strawberry and raspberry open, then sponge cake, cocoa and milk chocolate with coffee beans in the background. The smoke lies underneath as a warm floor rather than a point. At 55.3% there is body without hard edges.

Finish

Long and layered. Full red fruit, a smoked barbecue note and dried dark fruits that release slowly.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow Mac Y 25th Jubile Release Single Malt Scotch Whisky 50 cl 55.3%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 4 years
ABV: 55.3%
Size: 50 CL
Cask type: 1st fill ex-bourbon and finished in a Ruby Port barrique, cask no. 17/803
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 12 October 2017
Bottled: 4 November 2021
Number of bottles: 482
Edition: Mac Y 25th Jubile Release
EAN no.: 5060411501232

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Sweet · Chocolate · Cask Strength · Vinous

Did You Know?

Mac Y started in 1996 in Frederiks in central Jutland as a hobby that got out of hand, and in its early years imported mainly whisky from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Canada, Kentucky and Japan. Rum arrived after 2000, and today the house covers everything from port and armagnac to absinthe. This anniversary bottle marks the first quarter century.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 1770 Glasgow Mac Y 25th Jubile Release Single Malt Scotch Whisky 50 cl 55.3%

Why is the bottle 50 cl rather than 70 cl?

Because the cask gave a limited volume, and a smaller bottle means more people get one. For anniversary releases from single casks, 50 cl is a common choice for exactly that reason. The liquid is identical to what a 70 cl bottle would have held.

How peated is it?

Moderately, with a sweet round smoke rather than the sharp medicinal style associated with Islay. The fruit from the port cask takes up some of the room, so the smoke works as seasoning rather than as the main course.

What does it mean that the whisky comes from one cask?

That no more than those 482 bottles exist, and that no other release tastes exactly like this. In single cask bottlings there is no blending to even out differences, so you get that cask’s own expression, quirks included.

Does it work as a gift for a whisky collector?

Yes, particularly for someone interested in Danish importer history or in Glasgow Distillery’s early years. It is a release with a clear occasion, a single cask number and a limited outturn, three things collectors tend to appreciate.

How is it best enjoyed?

Neat at room temperature, in a glass that gathers the aroma. At 55.3% a few drops of water can loosen the smoke and lift the red fruit. If you do not own a proper glass it makes more difference than you would think; see our range of whisky glasses.

What characterises Glasgow Distillery’s peated whisky?

The smoke is softer and sweeter than the maritime Islay style, because the peat comes from the mainland and because the distillery works with long fermentations and slow distillation. The result is a smoke that wraps around the fruit instead of shouting over it.