Glen Grant 18 Review

Distillery: Glen Grant. Region: Speyside. ABV: 43%. Age: 18 years. Price: $150.

After having tasted the wonderful new Glen Grant 12-year-old a few weeks ago, I was eager to try the distillery’s newly launched 18-year-old. These two bottlings, together with a separate non-chill-filtered 12-year-old expression, are replacing the previous Glen Grant 10- and 16-year-old in the U.S., complete with a welcome packaging update.

And now that Jim Murray has named the 18-year-old his 2017 Scotch Whisky of the Year and the second-best whisky in the world, it’s bound to get a lot more attention.

Like the new 12-year-old, the 18 has an aroma of delicate orchard fruits, but there are also deeper notes of sweet vanilla, caramel and oak here too. The creamy palate is layered with lighter vanilla and lemon citrus notes mixed with darker fruit–think raisins–and oaky spice. The spice and sweetness lingers on the long, crisp finish.

I really enjoyed the multiple layers of the Glen Grant 18. It’s approachable and light, but it also allows you to explore deeper and darker notes than the 12-year-old. The price tag of $150 is steep for an 18-year-old, but I’d recommend trying this new Speyside, especially in a side-by-side tasting with the 12.

Cheers! – JTR

Buy Glen Grant whisky online at Mash + Grape

Glen Grant kindly provided a sample for review. As always, our opinions are 100% our own.

Feature photo from instagram.com/fireangel80