glentauchers 24

24 year old scotch whisky

In the heart of Edinburgh’s old town, towards the eastern length of the Royal Mile, can be found a district known as Canongate. In this area settled the Augustine monks, known as canons, who would pass through on their way to Edinburgh. Not only is the area rich in mercantile and ecclesiastical heritage, but it also hides some secrets about distilling in Scotland’s capital. For a short period in the 1790s, a distillery operated in the Canongate district, a site that is now one of many of Edinburgh’s lost distilleries.

The Canongate Series from The Perfect Fifth seeks to uncover casks of distinction from distilleries that have not been given the opportunity to stand in the limelight, and this Glentauchers cask is an ideal candidate with which to begin this range.

Only one official bottling of Glentauchers has ever been released, a 15 year old under the Ballantine’s brand. The vast majority of its produce is reserved for use in some of the some-selling Scotch whisky blends. We therefore find it remarkable that this single cask of malt distilled at Glentauchers has survived over two decades without having been put into bottle. Used in blends for its unparalleled fruity, malty and sweet nature, rarely is Glentauchers whisky experienced with the benefit of such a prolonged maturation process.

Cask Number: 22069

Vintage: 1996

Strength: 46.2%

Region: Speyside

Bottled Year: 2018

Bottles: 239

DESCRIPTION

24 years of a sweet, adventurously spicy; stewed peaches that are sprinkled with dry nuts; in a malty and light woody salad; that is on fire.

Region: SPEYSIDE

The region of Speyside is regarded as the Napa Valley of Scottish whisky, with the highest concentration of whisky distilleries in Scotland. Among those distilleries, clustered around the River Spey which runs through the heart of this region, are some of the highest regarded whisky makers in the world. Speyside first started showing signs of its dominance in the 19th century, the result of its ready access to expansive barley fields, strong train network, and an excellent water source: tributaries to the Spey River. The Speyside region shows huge diversity in its produce, covering the spectrum from light, heather-rich ‘breakfast’ whiskies to the rich and fruity ‘sherry bombs’ characteristic of some of the region’s most exalted names.

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Distillery: GLETAUCHERS

Almost all the whisky produced here goes into blends, the key component in some of the most highly regarded blends in history, initially Buchanan’s and Black & White, and more recently Ballantine’s and Teacher’s. A lengthy distillation process and long fermentation time of 60 hours, results in a spirit on the lighter, flowery side. The distillery was designed by Scottish architect Charles Doig, who has become immortalised by his most striking creation - the pagodas that have become a signature for whisky distilling across the globe.