Speyside (Glenrothes) 2008-2021 | 13 Year Old | Chorlton Whisky

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Bottled by: Chorlton Whisky 70cl / 64.6% 

Bottled at an extraordinary 64.6%, this 13-year-old Speyside single malt released in 2021 by indie bottlers Chorlton whisky has retained such a high strength because it was distilled at Glenrothes, where they fill their casks at 69% rather than the more usual 63.5% the rest of the industry prefers.

The cask in this instance was a second fill sherry butt Glenrothes 2008, bottled without colouring or chill filtration and yielding 368 bottles at natural cask strength. A delightful winter warmer that will most likely benefit from a generous drop of water to bring out the most of its flavours.

Attributes

Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Nose: So, the neat nose is classical sherried Glenrothes - nutty (walnut whip, peanut brittle), creamy (malted milk, crême caramel) and a bit fruity (jaffa cakes, apple pie, dried figs). There's a bit of toasted teacake too, as well as that slight flintiness you often get from Glenrothes.
With Water: Adding water makes the cleaner and fruitier side really pop - it becomes particularly citrussy with melted Calippo orange lollies and (a classier one to make up for that!) grapefruit preserve.

Palate: The palate tells the same story. Neat it's rich, thickly textured and chocolate-caramely, with a baked apple sort of fruitiness, a bit of tarry liquorice, and orange and caramel in the finish.
With Water: Dilution switches everything round so that there's orange cake upfront, and the richness is felt more in the finish. I get more of the nuttiness (sesame snaps, peanut cookies) with water too.

Conclusion: I think some people will love this dram neat, some well-diluted, and others will find their own sweet spot in-between. It's certainly fun to play around with!