Glenrothes 26 Year Old - Hart Brothers
Floral, Nutty, Hay Like2023-07-16
Smell
The nose is already very complex, with a wide range of aromas. We find vanilla, honey and a floral fruitiness similar to buttercup. These are joined by sweet notes of fresh peach and apple. When the malt is allowed to breathe a little, spicy notes of oak and malted barley emerge.
Taste
Like a typical Speysider, the profile evokes fruity freshness on the tongue. We think of peach iced tea, still vanilla sweetness and a malty cereal note on the tip of the tongue. This is overlaid by stronger flavours of oak, herbal tea and white pepper. There is also a very slight nuttiness, mostly reminiscent of almonds. This malt is not dry and is extremely oily.
Finish
The medium-long finish pushes a very pleasant, but quite discreet, amount of oak. No bitterness at all, just pure, natural, spicy oak.
Thoughts
This Glenrothes 26 is respectably complex, yet simple and beautiful. With plenty of time, you can analyse the flavours layer by layer, or just enjoy it in the summer. Light and extremely well-integrated flavours make this a very fresh single malt despite its age.