Review: Cadenheads Glenlochy 16 year old

Variety is the spice of life so they say and that also applies to whisky. I'm tired of the current releases and average malts we have to endure. More and more I'm looking back to bygone eras and former distilleries. Lets start with the departed Glenlochy distillery that was originally set in Fort William.

This particular release is a miniature that I acquired at auction recently for £16 before hammer fees. Miniatures are made to be opened and this was one in excellent condition with a decent fill level. The reason for this was confirmed when I tried to open it as the seal was excellent and a little brute force was required; a promising sign.

Distillery: Glenlochy
Distilled: October 1977
Bottled: February 1994 (16 years old)
Strength: 59% vol
Additional: matured in an oak cask

Colour: a very pale corn husk

Nose: lots of alcohol! Crushed almonds and pine cones with a little white wine. Fresh unbaked pastry and a sugary apple pie highlighting the stewed apples. A twist of lime and a dusting of icing sugar.

Taste: funnily my impression was whipped cream but from an aerosol can! More white wine and lots of green apples. A menthol sharpness with clean flavours such as liquorice, lemonade and sparking mineral water.

An interesting voyage and one I'd suggest we all take time to discover. There's something special in opening a closed distillery and seeing what the whisky experience was and transporting you back in time.