Glen Grant 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 70cl

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DM: My remit all my life has been to make the best, most consistent single malt I can. As a Master Distiller, of course, you look after the whisky production. After many decades I have an incredible team of experts to help me. Now the role becomes even more than that. You start to look at the way forward and help envision the distillery’s and whiskies' future. 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.

In terms of special limited-release offerings, the release of our 60-year-old single malt Scotch whisky in 2021 was the oldest, to date, distillery bottling in its 181-year history – and the response was incredible. We continue to see Scotch whisky connoisseurs and even newcomers to the category delighted by the flavors that rise from more complex maturation and the most exclusive expressions of the spirit. Originally called Glen Grant No. 2, it was renamed Caperdonich when it re-opened in 1965. New make was run across from the stillhouse to Glen Grant via a pipe which spanned the thoroughfare. JM: The Glen Grant has not released a lot of cask-finished expressions. There was a Port cask finished from The Glen Grant a few years ago that was a distillery exclusive. There are also some expressions from the 1980s, like the Director’s Reserve, that, I believe, showed some Sherry influence. Are there other cask-finished expressions from The Glen Grant? Are you planning more cask-finished whiskies in the future?

Glen Grant Major’s Reserve

DM: The Glen Grant continues to be one of the best-selling single malt brands in Italy, France, and Australia – and we find that the golden color and vanilla creamy notes typical of a bourbon cask are still beloved in many parts of the world. The style is lighter in color with a delicate profile but still quite rich and aromatic. 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. 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.

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? In the mouth: A bit of heat on the first sip. Like the nose, this is bursting with fruits. The heat comes out again but persists all to the end this time. I get light notes of kiwi, orange candy, starfruit, oleo saccharum and melon. After that are even lighter and shorter notes of tea, toffee and chocolate strawberries. Conclusions: 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. 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.

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So far, the response to The Glen Grant’s full repertoire of luxury single malt offerings is truly wonderful. The future looks bright for our expanding product range and intriguing new whisky releases like The Glen Grant 21-Year-Old. 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. One of the better 12 year old single malts I’ve tried in recent memory. Oddly, the price difference between this and the Arboralis is not that huge. Pricier NAS whisky justified due to ex-sherry casks, maybe? Score: 6/10 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. 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.

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. Glen Grant distillery was founded in 1840 in Rothes, Speyside, and produces single malt Scotch whisky. 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 In recent years, we’ve seen increased interest from whisky drinkers in premium single malt Scotch whiskies across a variety of flavor profiles and age statements. With this in mind, and with support from Campari, we have started to build a more varied portfolio of expressions – all of which capture the signature aromatic and evocative taste profile at the heart of our whiskies, which delivers delicately fruity, floral, and nutty notes in every drop. 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?

Glen Grant 10 Details

This is the deepest dive I’ve done on the brand so far. Currently, I have no strong opinion about it. Despite seeing some really well aged and reasonably priced independently bottled (IB) Glen Grants in the past, I’ve never tried any. Among the original bottlings, I’ve only tried the 12.

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? Was Campari just focused on their other brands? Did they emphasize other markets I knew less about? What factors do we not know of that resulted in a delay of their expanding markets? Regardless, it seems that their 18 year old’s place in Jim Murray’s top three whiskeys for consecutive years did wonders for their exposure. This resulted in the brand increasing in visibility… even in Manila, where the Scotch scene can be underwhelming. 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. JM: You are the third-generation member of your family to be involved with the Scotch whisky industry and have now spent more than 60 years making whisky. What is your most significant accomplishment over your tenure at The Glan Grant? The entrance to The Glen Grant's distillery 26 acre botanical garden Photo, courtesy The Glen GrantIn the mouth: Now the image of lemon tea with cream on top comes to mind. It’s quite peppery, too. The consistency and persistence of these notes amazes me. In between them are subtle and random appearances of toffee, butterscotch, honey, green apples, banana liqueur, oleo saccharum and melons. Conclusions: 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. A diminutive man who loved shooting large beasts in Africa, small birds and deer in Scotland and catching salmon in the Spey, he installed the first electric light seen in the area powered by turbines in the distillery, and is claimed to have had the first motor car in the Highlands.