The Glenturret 2022 Whisky Range Launch

22:00
juli 18, 2022

PR invite // All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own.

The last time – and my first time – visiting The Glenturret was the very same day as they announced the first Michelin star for the Lalique Restaurant but at that time they were not in production as they were doing some work so it was great to come back and see it all in action now. The main focus for the visit was to try the new 2022 range but we started off with a tour around the distillery. They have just installed a new mash tun and as we were passing by it was only the ninth mash ever running through it. We also had the treat of seeing the distillery cats – Glen & Turret (you’ll see Turret in a photo here below) – who were walking around in the still room. The even have a cat flap so that they can come and go as they please. A warm still house must be the dream home for a cat and they definitely walk around as if they own the place. Following the tasting we also enjoyed some exquisite canapés on the terrace where the oysters and the wagyu hash browns were absolutely delicious. The in-house pâtissière had also made chocolate caramel pralines with Peat Smoked whisky which were such a treat!

The Glenturret 2022 Releases

The Glenturret releases their whiskies in yearly batches where whiskies will change slightly from year to year depending on stock. It is quite interesting when new owners take over a distillery as they will be working with stock that they didn’t have any control over. Eventually we will of course see a shift when the spirit produced by Lalique is old enough to be bottled. Only then will we really see what direction they want to take the spirit and I believe they will continue to produce peated whisky, as it is part of the Glenturret history, but only for a couple of weeks each year, so the unpeated spirit will be the main focus.

The whiskies will be available from 21st July online on The Glenturret website and from select retailers and distributors.

The Glenturret Triple Wood

Matured in European and American oak sherry seasoned casks as well as ex-bourbon barrels. Bottled at 45% and natural colour.

I found the Triple Wood to have quite a forest-y character with ashy wood, honey and burned sherry on the nose. On the palate it had quite a wood spice to start of with but after the first sip it got more smooth with a more sweet and fresh character. When I returned to it after the rest of the line up it transformed in to more desserts on the nose and palate, still with a moss and wood note underneath.

The Glenturret 7 Years Old Peat Smoked

Primarily matured in American oak seasoned sherry hogsheads. Bottled at 44% and natural colour.

This 7 year old is brand new in the range and made using a 100% peated Glenturret whisky, whereas previous Peat Smoked versions have been made using a mix of peated and unpeated spirit.

This whisky also hd a bit of a mossy character at first, along with croissants and sweet smoke on the nose. On the palate it had more of an oily peat character where the smoke was darker than I had anticipated along with wood spice. After trying the 10 it got a little bit more fruitier and comparatively the 7 seemed a little bit more complex and the 10 a tad more smoky. When I return for a nose of the 7 following the 12 it has more of a biscuit-y smoke.

The Glenturret 10 Years Old Peat Smoked

Matured in first and second fill European and American oak casks. Bottled at 50% and natural colour as well as non-chillfiltered. A favourite of Distillery Manager Ian Renwick.

Initially the 10 felt more golden straight away on the nose with honeycomb and French pastries which was quite the contrast to the palate which had more of a grassy smoke. The 7 seemingly had more layers to its flavour but the 10 could surely be of interest to those looking for more of a pure smoke character.

The Glenturret 12 Years Old

Matured in American oak hogsheads as well as European oak casks with a stronger influence of first fill sherry casks involving both Pedro Ximinez and Oloroso. Bottled at 46% and natural colour as well as non-chillfiltered. This was Managing Director John Laurie’s favourite of the 2022 range.

To start of the nose offered forest sherry tones as well as tarte tatin and soft peach sweeties. The palate had soft wood tannins, wood sap and a sherry meets wood character, rather than a sweetness or fruitiness from the sherry influence. The sherry doesn’t have a prominent character on the palate, but mixes in with the other flavours. If you haven’t tried Glenturret before I think the 12 could be a good one to start with to give you a good idea of their spirit and character without any stronger influences like smoke or powerful casks.

The Glenturret 15 Years Old

Matured in a higher percentage of European oak casks. Bottled at 53% and natural colour as well as non-chillfiltered.

The European oak influence certainly shows up int he 15. On the nose I got marzipan, vegetables and it felt perfumed and rich, yet fresh and even more golden than the previous ones. On the palate the spicy tannins of the wood showed up, but initially it was a bit hot sitting at 50% and it definitely needed a little bit of water to calm down and release more character. The finish was one of the nicest ones of the range which lingered with a mix of tropical fruits and exotic spice. The water offered more golden sweetness and balanced out the tannins further.

The Glenturret 25 Years Old

Produced from only three casks: two European oak sherry butts and one refill hogshead which is limiting the release to only 210 bottles. Bottled at 42.2% and natural colour as well as non-chillfiltered.

This whisky was my favourite of the evening and the stand out with its wonderful balance and intriguing character. On the nose I got sweet tomatoes and lily of the valley along with toffee toasted barley or possibly crystal malt. This may sound like an odd combination but it reminded me of the European countryside in the summer. The palate was a wonderful mix of baked honeydew melon, creme brûlée with both a sweetness and freshness that enhances a whisky of this age.

The Glenturret 30 Years Old

Produced from five different casks: 2 x ex-Moscatel casks, one Niepoort Portuguese oak cask, one refill cask and one European oak ex-oloroso cask. Limited release of 750 bottles. Bottled at 42% and natural colour as well as non-chillfiltered.

Like the 25 the 30 also had honeydew melon on the nose along with other tropical fruits like kiwis. It mixed it with honey and old library books on the nose but had more of a woody character on the palate with soft spice, seaside wooden cottages and a touch of bitters. Comparatively to the 25 this had a touch too much wood on the palate for me, which is why the previous one was my favourite.