Glentauchers 1996 Aged 23 Years Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Hidden Spirits (700ml)

Volume: 700ml           ABV: 50.8%           Age: 23 Years Old          Country: Scotland

Cask: GT9620
Date of Distilling: 1996
Date of Bottling: 2020
Matured In: an ex-Bourbon Hogshead
Un-Chillfiltered

Founded by Andrea Ferrari, Hidden Spirits is a relatively new Italian independent bottler and online whisky shop, which prides itself on the meticulously careful selection of its bottlings. Hidden Spirits has its bottle labels designed by different Italian artists, and offers a variety of expressions under several series: the Highproof Collection of cask strength single casks over eight years of age; the Hidden Spirits Classic collection of single casks of varying strength over eight years of age; and the Young Rebels collection of single casks under eight years old.

Glentauchers Distillery is a Speyside distillery which mainly produces whisky for blends, initially Buchanan’s and Black & White, and these days Ballantine’s. The distillery was founded in 1897 by W P Lowrie, a Glasgow-based whisky trader, and James Buchanan, a renowned blender. The distillery was built on the Tauchers farm which sits four miles west of the town of Keith. The distillery boasts long fermentation and slow distillation making the whisky more floral and light than earthy and weighty.

This independent bottling has been sourced from the Glentauchers Distillery where it was distilled in 1996. It was then placed in a single ex-bourbon hogshead and left to mature for 23 years. It was bottled at 50.8% abv in 2020. 1 of only 162 bottles produced.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Hay sheds in summer, finger lime caviar, vanilla slice, lemon sorbet and chewy Werthers caramels. Beautifully fragranced with time in the glass, with lemon tree blossoms and white flowers.

Palate: Yo-yo biscuits with zingy lemon cream in the centre. A bit of ovaltine and baked shortcrust pastry with stewed apples inside. A nice top note of acidity that is balanced out beautifully by chunky grain character and solid maturity.

Finish: Delightfully chewy with an aperitif like herbal character. Plum skins and preserved lemon. Cereal flavours dig into the palate and demonstrate the age of this elegant dram.