This is a relatively new whisky from the highland distillers and is bottled at a surprised-yet-pleased eyebrow raising 48% and has as an added bonus has undergone no chill-filtration. Of course there is no age statement, however, that is not always a bad thing and if done right NAS whiskies are some of the best around in my opinion.
On the nose there's salted caramel chocolate, blue cheese (that's right), orange, toffee, flours, sea spray and brine. On top of this there is a citrus fruit element of lemon and lime mixed with an earthy, fungal quality. The nose is really interesting, the different characteristics are really quite diverse and interesting, but are a little muddled and all on top of each other if you can get some idea of what i'm trying to say from my incoherent babble. The nose is very interesting and complex, but could really do with a good sit-down for a while to really pull apart what is going on.
On the palate there are dried fruits, cinnamon, pepper, some smokiness, citrus fruit again (but no orange) and again a briney saline note. On the finish chocolate seems to jump up immediately before settling into the background a little with spice and pepper taking over for the really quite long finish. Although this whisky doesn't need it a drop of aqua slightly sweetens and lightens the nose and the palate rounding off some of the sharp corners.
The complexity of the nose is almost matched by the palate and it makes this a really interesting dram that will take a lot of time for you to mull over fully, one for those long winter nights.
Glen Garioch 1797 Founder's Reserve (thank 'whichever deity you currently subscribe to' for copy and paste) can be bought from Master of Malt for £31.96, a bit of a bargain.
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