Glenborrodale 7 years Batch Release no 4 Adelphi Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 46%

Seven years is young for a blend. There is not enough cask time to smooth everything out, and that puts demands on the malts going in. Batch 4 is the fourth release in the Adelphi Glenborrodale range, and it shows what the house can do without age as a safety net.

The expert's description

Glenborrodale 7 Year Old Batch Release no 4 is a Blended Malt Scotch Whisky from Adelphi, bottled at 46% in 1,484 bottles.

A young blended malt depends entirely on the selection. There are no decades in wood to pull the whisky together, so the blend has to work first time. That is exactly the kind of work Adelphi has built its name on, and their selection standards are the same whether a cask ends up as a single cask or in a blend like this one.

Adelphi tastes far more casks than it bottles. Alex Bruce and the whisky writer Charles MacLean taste the samples together, and under four per cent of the casks offered are approved. It is an unusually hard sift, and it is the whole basis of the firm’s reputation.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh malt and bright fruit, with vanilla and a trace of honey. The youth registers as a cereal sharpness behind the sweetness.

Palate

Direct and malt-driven. Apple, pear and pale caramel, with a dry spiced edge from the cask. The 46% gives it enough weight not to feel thin.

Finish

Medium and dry. Malt and a touch of oak closing cleanly.

Specifications

Name: Glenborrodale 7 Year Old Batch Release no 4 Adelphi Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 46%
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 7 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Number of bottles: 1,484
Edition: Glenborrodale Batch Release no 4

Flavour profile

Malty · Fruity · Dry · Spiced · Young

Did you know?

Under four per cent of the casks Adelphi is offered are approved for bottling. Alex Bruce and Charles MacLean sit together and taste the samples, and most casks are sent back — including casks that would be perfectly saleable at other bottlers.

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Frequently asked questions about Glenborrodale 7 Year Old Batch Release no 4

Is seven years too young for a whisky?

Not necessarily. Seven years is enough for the cask to have done its work, and a young whisky shows more of the spirit itself. It does place higher demands on the selection, though, because there are no decades in wood to cover any weakness.

How does Batch 4 differ from the later batches?

It is younger and more direct. Later releases in the range have run up to eleven years, and with age come more sherry and more rounding. Batch 4 is tauter and more malt-driven — two different ideas under the same name.

What does it mean that Adelphi only approves under four per cent of casks?

That the great majority of casks are sent back, including casks that are objectively fine. Adelphi only bottles what it will put its own name to, and that sift is why the firm’s releases rarely disappoint, whatever the age.

Is it peated?

Not to any clear degree. There may be a trace in the background from a peated component, but the whisky is first and foremost malt and bright fruit. See the other Scottish styles in our Scotch Whisky selection.

Should I add water?

Try it neat first. At 46% it is balanced as it stands, but a couple of drops can take the edge off the youth and pull the fruit forward. Move carefully — there is not much alcohol to give away.

Who is Charles MacLean?

One of Scotland’s best-known whisky writers and the author of a number of books on the subject. He has tasted cask samples alongside Adelphi’s Alex Bruce for many years, and the two of them handle the selection for the firm’s releases.

Does it suit someone new to whisky?

Yes, with one caveat. The profile is straightforward and unpeated, but the 46% and the young, cereal edge make it a little more demanding than a classic mild beginner whisky. If you are curious how malt tastes without many years in wood, it is a good place.