The next dram I am about to review comes from the Glen Ord distillery. I am not quite sure why Diageo chose to bottle the Glen Ord and the Dufftown / Glendullan distilleries under the Singleton Hat, In my opinion it would be better if they were bottled under their distillery name and not sharing the same bottle shape etc. Obscure reasoning, but who am I to say. I’ve not had a good Glen Ord (or any Glen Ord) in quite a while, and was hoping this year’s edition is going to be fun , and at 55% abv… why not?
The Singleton of Glen Ord 18 Year Old , 55% , £129.95 (MOM)
Nose: A nice melange spiced fruits, starting on peaches, apricots and some apple with a hint of sweet pastries, sponge cakes, oranges and some damp old oak and lemon zest, quite light and sweet-ish but not overly so.
Palate: bitter grapefruit pith, lemon rind, then getting a bit sweeter with a buttery touch, vanilla and more pastries, and a lovely polished oak note as well, showing nice age and mixing well with the citrus-y feeling. quite round and oily, with a certain zingy minty touch, over a chocolate/vanilla mousse, sweet oak on the very finish.
Finish : oak, pepper, lemon zest and barley sugar and more polished oak.
Conclusion: A rather tasty whisky indeed, I am not disappointed one bit, and really appreciate this year’s solid expression from all distilleries across the board. It’s not a dram I’d buy straight away, but I know quite a few people who will take a fancy to this one.
Score: 85/100
Available on the Master of Malt online shop , £129.95