Glenborrodale 11 years Batch Release no 8 Adelphi Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 46%

Glenborrodale is not a distillery. It is a village on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, and Adelphi has borrowed the name for the range where they marry malts from several distilleries rather than bottle a single cask. Batch 8 is the eighth release in the run.

The expert's description

Glenborrodale 11 Year Old Batch Release no 8 is a Blended Malt Scotch Whisky from Adelphi, bottled at 46% in 1,404 bottles.

Adelphi is known first and foremost for single cask bottlings at cask strength, so a blended malt at 46% is a deliberate step to one side. The idea behind Glenborrodale is to build a whisky where the blend does more than the individual parts, and where the strength is set so the bottle can be drunk without ceremony. Batch 8 is an 11 year old — the oldest in the run so far.

The range belongs to Adelphi's Dales releases, where the names are taken from places in Ardnamurchan and Morvern. It is the same country where Adelphi built the Ardnamurchan distillery in 2014, and where the centre of gravity of the firm now lies.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sherried fruit and malt, with dried apricot and a trace of candied orange. Behind it sits a touch of smoke that only just shows itself.

Palate

Full and malt-driven. Dark fruit and nuts from the sherry casks, with a spiced middle and a light smoke note underneath. The 46% gives the body firmness without making it sharp.

Finish

Medium. Malt and dried fruit first, then a dry spiced close with a final wisp of smoke.

Specifications

Name: Glenborrodale 11 Year Old Batch Release no 8 Adelphi Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 46%
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 11 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Number of bottles: 1,404
Edition: Glenborrodale Batch Release no 8
EAN no.: 5060383651508

Flavour profile

Sherried · Malty · Dark fruit · Lightly peated · Spiced

Did you know?

Glenborrodale is part of Adelphi's Dales range, where the releases are named after places in Ardnamurchan and Morvern on Scotland's west coast. The names point to the country rather than to the distilleries, precisely because the contents change from batch to batch.

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Frequently asked questions about Glenborrodale 11 Year Old Batch Release no 8

Is Glenborrodale a distillery?

No. It is the name of a village on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, which Adelphi uses for its blended malt range. The whisky in the bottle comes from several Scottish distilleries, and which ones are involved is not disclosed.

What does Batch Release no 8 mean?

That it is the eighth release in the range. Each batch is blended afresh, so age, cask composition and flavour vary from number to number. This one is 11 years old, where earlier batches have sat at seven to nine years.

Why 46% rather than cask strength, when Adelphi is otherwise known for it?

Because Glenborrodale is meant to be a different kind of bottle. The Adelphi single cask releases chase the maximum expression from one cask, while Glenborrodale is meant to be a coherent blend you can pour without measuring. 46% is chosen for that purpose.

What is a blended malt?

A whisky made entirely from single malt from several distilleries, with no grain whisky. It therefore sits closer to single malt than to an ordinary blended whisky, and it usually carries more body. See the other Scottish styles in our Scotch Whisky selection.

Is it peated?

Only lightly. There is a smoke note in the background that suggests a peated malt is in the blend, but it does not take up much room. The whisky is first and foremost sherry and malt driven.

Who approves the casks at Adelphi?

Alex Bruce and the whisky writer Charles MacLean taste samples together from the casks Adelphi is offered. Only a very small share is approved, and that strict selection applies to the casks that end up in a blend like this one too.

How many bottles are there?

1,404. That is a fixed number for this particular batch, and once it is gone it will not be made again — the next release in the range will have a different composition and a different number.