Glenrothes 25yo

Only a short finish of 18 months in second fill Pedro Ximenez casks was needed to put the icing on the cake on an already perfect old Speyside whisky. As expected from the age and from the sherry influence, it’s a particularly complex malt at the nose: winey, but also with plenty of red apples (skins included!), raspberries, peaches, and oranges. But it’s not a simple fruity feast: there are also echoes of old library, and liquorice root. The same complexity is found at the palate, with an old-school sherry profile: at the same time dry, but also chewy, with an oxidative trait that is very classic and fascinating. Plenty of almond pastries, raisins, a hint of coffee. Surprisingly, in the finale it becomes extremely spicy, oaky, while retaining a sweet note of marzipan.