Cadenheads Small Batch Glenrothes 21yo
2018 Release | 50.9% ABV
How much cask is too much?
In an era of modern cask management, Cadenhead’s makes a point of releasing purposefully distillate-driven whiskies capable of showcasing distillery house styles. In the view of some folks, like this writer, that is a precious gift.
For others though, it’s viewed with scepticism and met with derision or slings like “knackered oak” or “tired casks”. As with most things, this is probably a spectrum where the truth lies somewhere in the middle. But please, let me present my case.
As I’ve brought up in some of my previous reviews on Dramface, I’m not the greatest lover of cask-dominated drams. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with a sherry bomb, some STR or a 1st fill finishing cask, I do wonder at times where the balance is.
There are obviously distilleries that pride themselves on certain maturation profiles. Some of Billy Walker’s ventures are a good example. GlenDronach are today synonymous with sherry maturation. BenRiach utilises a combination of bourbon, sherry, virgin oak and various fortified and non-fortified wine cask maturations throughout their core range bottlings. GlenAllachie seem to have almost as many limited release cask finish bottlings as Bruichladdich in their heyday. However, in many of these cases, the whiskies are good.
But it’s worth asking; if these styles of whisky appeared in a blind line up of similar maturation, how confident would we be in picking each of them out? In some instances, we might have a good chance; I doubt anyone’s mistaking a Hazelburn 12 sherry for a sherries Macallan 12. But would we lay bets about distinguishing a Tamdhu batch-strength from a Glenlivet Nadurra? Or an Arran Sauternes from a Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or? I probably wouldn’t risk it.
On the other side of the coin are the whiskies which see too little oak and or maturation — releases which are clearly from third or fourth use casks with no rejuvenation, that are too young or just uninspiring. Some of these releases still hold traces of their new-make volatility, whilst others mature well enough but lack balance or complexity from cask interaction. I would argue, however, that in the current climate, where de-char/re-char and STR casks are so readily available, as are seasoned casks with comparatively short turnaround times, this is a much less common occurrence.
At the end of the day, this is all very much a matter of personal opinion and taste. From my perspective, though, the work that Cadenhead’s does in releasing well-aged products with minimal cask interference is undervalued. We so infrequently get to see the DNA of distilleries with small official outturns at an age that’s relatively affordable, yet with consumer purchasing habits moving in the direction they are we’ll see fewer of these options in future.
The series of releases this malt comes from (Cadenhead’s Small Batch Cask Strength) is the perfect example. Now replaced by the Original Collection bottled at 46%, we have seen a major upswing in the number of ultra-dark cask dominated releases under this new series with an updated packaging for a fresher look. And why? Because the SBCS bottlings just weren't moving. Whilst the modern malt drinker has become better educated and demands higher integrity presentation from brands, there seems to be a parallel group of consumers that is obsessed with extreme whisky. What crams the most peat into a glass? What is the darkest sherry or port cask release available? Hell, most of us probably know that person that only drinks cask strength whisky and seeks the highest ABV releases available, only to insist on drinking it neat almost as if to make a point.
It reminds me of the journey many craft beer fans go through. Most beer drinkers start out on commercial lagers or similar, then discover something with a bit higher flavour density — a Guinness or a local IPA, for instance. This tends to follow a pretty typical pathway; a progression through styles with incrementally higher impact. IPAs are no longer enough; we must have double or triple IPAs. A lightly tart Gose isn’t enough, rather it must be a Geuze or heavily soured wild ale. Why bother with Guinness at all when there are 15% barrel-aged pastry stouts with a similar viscosity to what might get drained out of a car engine after 20,000kms? Don’t even get me started on what NEIPAs have done to soften most palates against IBUs.
None of these styles are bad (well, probably the pastry stout). They certainly all have their time and place, but they form part of a larger behaviour that overlooks nuance, subtlety and balance. The plus side is that most beer fanatics go through these trends as phases and eventually start discovering the benefit of more drinkable styles. The work and knowledge that goes into crafting the perfect pilsner, schwarzbier or ESB is nothing to sneeze at, and the enjoyment garnered from learning to appreciate the details in such styles is immense. I can only hope that the wider whisky market follows similar trends soon.
Review
Glenrothes 1996 Vintage 21yo Batch Cask Strength
Vatting of three ex-bourbon hogsheads, 50.9% ABV
AUS$183 / £108 GBP, long since sold out.
This whisky is, on paper, about as good as I could hope for. It’s expressive distillate well-aged in a gentle cask — from a bottler that I have had many positive experiences with.
Glenrothes is an interesting distillery to me in that there is nothing particularly odd or unique about their production methodology at first glance, yet to my palate they seem to produce quite a characterful, somewhat dirty distillate. Whenever people talk about Mortlach being a rich, meaty, spicy and slightly sulphury dram, I can’t help but think of how many modern official bottlings fail to live up to that reputation. Even some of the younger, more recent indies seem to lack the spark. Glenrothes, however, has lived up to all of the traits talked about from Mortlach, yet nobody seems to acknowledge it. Have I lost the plot?
Well, assuming I ever even had the plot I still think there’s truth in this — despite the medium-length fermentations, standard double distillation regime in stills with reflux boil bulbs, and the shell and tube condensers, the distillate is meaty. So much so that I have picked it out of semi-blind lists on a few occasions now. Let’s see if this character holds out.
Nose
Great spirit and oak balance. The bourbon casks contribute just enough vanilla custard, coconut and baking spice to keep the leaner spirit characters in check. The distillate brings an excellent gristy malt tone with crushed chalk, moderate thiols and other pleasantly savoury organosulfurs à la fermented meats and light alliums. With time in the glass, we see a little lemon butter and some yeasty notes like proofing sourdough.
Palate
The organosulfurs lead things off with some beef broth, passionfruit and light spring onion while the casks counterbalance with more butter, vanilla, subtle oak lactones and soft baking spices. There’s also some mild floral and peppery terpene accents, underneath which that gristy and bready maltiness combines with the oak for a sense of creamed scones and butterscotch. The finish settles further into the malt and oak with more chalky mineralic hints, while retronasal olfaction brings back mild thiols and faint lemon oil.
The Dregs
This bottle has changed and progressed quite nicely over the year or so that it’s been open. On first cork pop, the sulphur elements, although still pleasant, were more dominant. Over time that character has diminished somewhat, meaning that the rest of the distillate can shine, particularly the malt aspects. A touch of water does wonders for the composition too, softening the casks a touch and bringing more of the fruits and peppery elements to the fore, particularly on the nose.
While I’ve tried a few bottlings of Glenrothes that lean much more heavily on sherry casks, this all-bourbon profile suits me very nicely. It acts as a counterbalance to the distillate without unnecessarily sweetening things or covering any nuance. Whilst I wouldn’t call this a particularly subtle dram, it’s better for the gentle treatment and shows exemplary balance. I hope we all get to see more whisky like this as time and tastes go on.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. TK