Glen Grant 1998/2021 Lady of the Glen 23 years old Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 50.4%

Cask number 9711 sat maturing for 22 years before Gregor Hannah moved the contents into an oloroso cask that had just been emptied. Six months later 307 bottles were filled. A move like that can go either way — this one went the right way.

The expert's description

Glen Grant 1998/2021 Lady of the Glen 23 Year Old is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky from a hogshead finished in an oloroso cask, bottled at cask strength 50.4%.

The spirit went into cask in 1998 and was bottled in 2021 from cask number 9711. For its final months the whisky sat in a freshly emptied oloroso hogshead, a far more aggressive form of finishing than an older sherry cask would deliver. The result is 307 bottles, non-chill filtered and with no added colour.

Lady of the Glen is run by Gregor Hannah under the name Hannah Whisky Merchants, and the whole business model is single cask. He buys individual casks, follows them closely and often adds a short finish when he judges a cask needs a nudge. Glen Grant's light, dry spirit is a rewarding starting point for exactly that, because there is room for the sherry without losing the malt.

Tasting notes

Nose

Prunes and maple syrup first, then dark chocolate and coffee grounds. Behind that sit currants, cinnamon and a trace of old leather. Orange peel emerges after a couple of minutes.

Palate

Deep, dry sherry rather than sweet sherry. Dark fruit, walnut and cocoa, with a firm, almost bitter edge from the cask. Underneath it all the light Glen Grant malt keeps the whisky from turning heavy.

Finish

Long. Dark chocolate, dried figs and tobacco ebbing slowly into a dryness of oak and cinnamon.

Specifications

Name: Glen Grant 1998/2021 Lady of the Glen 23 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 50.4%
Distillery: Glen Grant
Bottler: Lady of the Glen
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 23 years
ABV: 50.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Hogshead finished in an oloroso cask
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 1998
Bottled: 2021
Number of bottles: 307
Edition: Single Cask no. 9711

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dark fruit · Spiced · Dry · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. A 23 year old single cask in 307 bottles cannot be repeated, and Glen Grant at that age from independent bottlers is growing steadily scarcer. The combination of high age, cask strength and a documented cask number is what collectors look for.

Did you know?

Lady of the Glen sells its casks as casks — Gregor Hannah routinely puts the cask number, fill date and bottling date openly on the label. It is a level of transparency many larger houses still hold back.

See our full range of Glen Grant
See our full range of Lady of the Glen

Listen to our podcast:

Frequently asked questions about Glen Grant 1998/2021 Lady of the Glen 23 Year Old

Is it worth the money?

Measure it on rarity and cask work. You get a 23 year old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky from a single documented cask, bottled at cask strength in 307 bottles, with an oloroso finish that is hard to copy. Those are the factors that carry the bottle, not the age statement alone.

What does finishing in a freshly emptied oloroso cask mean?

That the cask is still wet with sherry when the whisky goes in. It leaves a markedly faster and stronger imprint than a cask that has stood empty for months. Six months is therefore enough to change the character noticeably.

How sherry-heavy is it?

Clearly sherried, but in the dry direction. There is dark fruit, chocolate and nut rather than the sticky raisin sweetness you find in PX-matured whisky. The light Glen Grant spirit keeps it in balance.

Should I add water?

Try it neat for a few minutes first. At 50.4% a couple of drops can loosen the fruit and soften the bitter oak edge, but move carefully — the sherry notes wash out quickly.

What is a hogshead?

A cask of roughly 250 litres, usually rebuilt from American bourbon barrels by assembling the staves into a larger vessel. It gives a slightly slower exchange between whisky and wood than a smaller barrel.

Who is Gregor Hannah?

He is the man behind Lady of the Glen and runs the firm Hannah Whisky Merchants. The business is built on single cask bottlings, buying casks from across Scotland and deciding himself when they should be filled. Browse the rest of our Scotch Whisky selection for other single cask releases.

Does it work as a gift?

For someone who collects or knows the single cask world, yes. Cask number, high age and cask strength are three things that get noticed. For a beginner it sits on the powerful side.