Glen Grant 29 YO new release from The Chess Malt Collection Blogpost by Luka Gottschalk

Blogpost by Luka Gottschalk

The bottling dates all the way back to the year 1994, and it was bottled in May 2023. It has spent all 29 years in reused Bourbon barrels and is bottled at cask strength of 53.6%, without added color and without the use of chill filtration. Personally, I don't have much experience and therefore no expectations of the Glen Grant distillery, so it has been interesting to enjoy this dram without any predetermined attitudes.

The color has a youthful golden hue, which may suggest that older barrels are no longer imparting as much color. The aroma is a deliciously classic malt whisky scent of the old school. There are no dominant sherry/wine casks overshadowing the distillery's character. The aroma offers notes of lemon, vanilla, and honey, but also a deep penetrating aroma of grain. It reminded me of the scent of a ripe cornfield on a late summer evening. The taste continues in the same vein as the aroma. This is an incredibly fresh and easily drinkable whisky. The vanilla scent develops into Crème brûlée accompanied by elderflower cordial and of course malt sweetness and old oak. The aftertaste is long and offers soft tannins, freshly ground black pepper, cinnamon, and ripe pear.