When Pernod Ricard took over Seagram’s whisky arm in 2001, Glen Grant was deemed legally surplus and in 2006 it was snapped up by Gruppo Campari. This is appropriate, as Glen Grant was the largest selling whisky (including blends) in the 1960s and the country remains the malt’s most significant market. With the Italian market focussing on young, light expressions, older bottlings have long been handled by Gordon & MacPhail. The estate around Glen Grant House continued to grow throughout the century eventually comprising a huge greenhouse complex and extensive formal gardens. Much of its splendour is thanks to the entrepreneurial actions of John’s son (also John, but best known as ‘The Major’) who took charge of the business in 1872. The version being reviewed here is the 12 Year Old, which is bottled at 43% alcohol by volume and is chill filtered. Glen Grant offers a second version of this 12-year-old single malt, which is non-chill filtered and exclusive to travel retail. Both versions are relatively new to the market, having been launched along with an 18-year-old single malt in mid-2016. Tasting Notes: Glen Grant 12-Year-Old Glen Grant distillery was founded in 1840 in Rothes, Speyside, and produces single malt Scotch whisky.

This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. The whisky has a dark golden color reflecting the Sherry butt and bourbon cask mix. On the nose are notes of stone and tropical fruits, especially ripe peaches, along with golden raisin, candied orange zest, almond, and caramel. The whisky has some slight herbal notes of mint, along with the typical assortment of wood spices. In 1898, with demand rising, The Major built a second distillery across the road from Glen Grant but like so many constructed at this time it closed soon after (in 1902). Its maltings –which are claimed to have been the first pneumatic malting drums in the Highlands continued to supply the needs of its sister plant. By 1872, the founders of Glen Grant Distillery had died. Young James ‘The Major’ Grant, born in 1847, had always taken a keen interest in the distillery and having inherited the business and the title ‘Glengrant’ from his uncle John Grant, he was to prove himself a worthy successor. [4] Glen Grant Distillery

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On that note, I’ve never heard Glen Grant be the talk of the town until their 18 year old was named by Jim Murray as one of his top 3 whiskeys a few years ago. Think about it. Underdog brands like Glendronach, Kilkerran and Arran never really won any of the heavily publicized awards, yet they are more appreciated now. DM : The wood of the cask has a fundamental influence on the final character of the spirit, which has matured within it, so it’s not a decision I take lightly. For this reason, the quality of the wood selection is crucial and a testament to how high quality sits in the creation of our whiskies. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. JM: Whisky-related tourism has been a rapidly growing segment of the Scotch whisky industry. The Glen Grant has a new visitor center, and the distillery is located in an exceptional botanical garden that was created by Major Grant almost a century ago. What’s The Glen Grant doing to encourage whisky tourism, and how do you expect it to impact the brand? This is very different from the last Glen Grant 12 I had. Is batch variance to blame for this? Or has my palate changed since the last time?

My focus is to help ensure we stay true to the tradition and heritage of The Glen Grant while also innovating for the future. One of my happiest changes has been expanding our family of whiskies, with the 15-year-old, 18-year-old, and now the 21. The 21 YO is the first Sherry-influenced expression added to the core range in recent years. Rumor has it that there is a lot of Sherry matured whisky in the bottling queue at The Glen Grant. What Sherry, either cask finished or matured, expressions can we expect from The Glen Grant in the future? A whisky with a lasting body that’s easy to drink. I had to let this breathe for around 30 minutes. Initially, it was just a big punch of acidity and green apples. Much of our older inventory has seen further maturing in ex-Sherry casks, so it’s an influence we’ve seen in special releases in the past, and you’ll continue to see it in older expressions. With that in mind, we continue to experiment with casks that may enhance the signature flavor profile from The Glen Grant. Watch this space for more news in the future.Glen Grant was founded in 1840, by brothers John and James Grant, two former illegal distillers and smugglers who decided to take out a license. With the sea and port of Garmouth nearby, the River Spey at its feet and barley-growing plains nearby, all the basic ingredients of malt whisky were close at hand. This time the distillery was legal. [4] In 2006, Campari acquired Glen Grant, its only whisky, when Allied Domecq was acquired by Pernod Ricard. To this day, Glen Grant continues to be one of the biggest selling single malts worldwide.

John Grant increased the original pair of stills to a quartet in the late 19th century. A new stillhouse with a further two were added in 1973 and another four installed there in 1977. In 1983, the old stillhouse was closed and two larger stills were put into the new stillhouse, giving the current complement of eight. Glen Grant is something of a Jekyll and Hyde of Scotch whisky. On one hand, there’s the brand’s swathe of entry-level whiskies that are incredibly popular overseas, particularly in France, Italy and Spain. These easy-drinking drams are mild and light in flavour, making them a hit with newcomers to the world of whisky. A visit to The Glen Grant is never complete without a walk through our ‘Garden of Splendours,' our 27-acre Victorian garden cultivated with eclectic plants from the Major’s adventures around the world. It is the only garden of its kind in Scotland. All in all, a decent whisky. Due to the sherry influence, I can’t see it as a highball, but I could see it as a session whisky. Score: 5/10 JM: The new 21-YO expression is the longest-matured whisky in The Glen Grant range. Can we expect more examples of premiumization from The Glen Grant? Will these premium expressions offer older whiskies or more complex maturation protocols?

I like that you still get the distillery DNA despite the long aging. Extra points for Glen Grant not adding a sherry cask component here. I feel like the sherry cask influence other brands add to their 18-year-olds mute their distillery’s DNA character. There are hidden complexities here that I don’t think the regular drinker will easily find. It took a lot of effort for me to “listen” to the shy and hidden flavors.

Glen Grant is one of the top five bestselling Scotch single malt distilleries worldwide. The Campari Group acquired Glen Grant whisky distillery in 2006 for the princely sum of €115m from Chivas Brothers, then under Pernod Ricard ownership. Accordingly, Glen Grant is likely to be made substantially larger. At present, the Glen Grant distillery houses six stills and runs at near full capacity, which totals 5.9million litres per annum. However, with the proposed addition of a power plant nearby and a further eight stills, by 2010 the capacity could be as much as twelve million litres. On the palate, the whisky is sweet and fruity. There are notes of stone fruits, along with hints of tropical fruits of melon and mango. There are also caramel and some slight marzipan notes accompanied by custard-like notes of creamy vanilla. I only sensed a small amount of sherry influence in this. Aside from the burst of PX-like aromas, the sherry characteristics in this are subtle. This doesn’t seem to be that different from the Major’s Reserve in that it’s mostly refill ex-bourbon casks. I say so because I think the fruity flavors come from the distillate’s character, rather than the influence of the oak. The sherry influence has added an extra layer of flavor, but I also feel like it took away some flavors. On the other hand, this could just be a Major’s Reserve finished in ex-sherry casks. The light sherry influence makes it taste generic, but I get that this was probably made to cater to contemporary preferences for ex-wine influence in spirits.He taught me that you have to take care of the people first because, without your team, you have nothing. I hope to give my successor this advice because it is at the heart of what makes The Glen Grant what it is today.