The Glenrothes 15 Year Old

From the brand:

At 15 years the ripe fruity notes of our spirit are becoming more refined and fragrant. It is a sensorial maturity that opens the door to flavour exploration.
Balancing the delicate elegance of our new make spirit with the boldness resulting from maturation in European oak sherry-seasoned casks, demands a skilful precision. It is a demand met with firm conviction by our Master Whisky Maker, through an unrivalled understanding of how our new make spirit uniquely matures.
The result is a marriage of the delicate and the bold. A seeming contradiction which works in harmony to deliver the bright sweet spice of The 15.
I find this much more honeyed than the brand’s notes indicate, but other than that I can’t argue with much. This is immensely enjoyable as a simple sipper at 15 years, without being oaky at all and possessing all the flavor and mouthfeel I’d want from it. At $100 for a 15-year-old, this is also a fantastic alternative to higher-priced and similarly-aged single malts from the same region. I couldn’t give it an 8+ only because it wasn’t singular or unique in some way, but don’t let that hold you back. It is worth every penny.
I haven’t had much Glenrothes…might be time to change that.
More information on this release is found here.

Glenrothes 15 Year Old: Specs

Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Producer: Glenrothes Distillery

Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley

Proof: 86º (43% ABV)

Age: 15 Years Old

Location: Scotland, Speyside

Glenrothes 15 Year Old Price: $100

Official Website

Glenrothes 15 Year Old: Tasting Notes

Eye: Burnished gold.

Nose: Yellow fruit flesh, bright sherry with an equally bright meyer lemon zing, malt clear underneath. The sherry is delicate with its power, rancio in the background and a touch of oak astringency.

Palate: Honey-drizzled fruitcake, mostly front tongue with an inviting heat from the oak. Summer fruits in full seasonal freshness, heavier than 86 proof would indicate. Apples in honey, honey comb all over. Mouthfeel adds cooked golden raisins, warm honey in black tea with a coating, thick lacquer of gold.

Finish: A touch drying, the coating staying mostly on the front half of the tongue and a little to the sides. Drinks at proof on a medium-long finish.

Overall: Deliciously viscous for 86 proof, noy syrupy but heavy and oily. The fruit-malt balance stays in place throughout, the cask well-controlled as a backbone and undertone. An easy buy for the price. Fits as both an entry point to the Speyside style without being too overly sherried, and also as a solid pour for experienced Speyside lovers.