Scotch Whisky Review #484: Glenturret 12 Year 2020 Maiden Release
Distillery: Glenturret.
Region: Highland.
Age: 12 year. Bottled in 2020.
ABV: 46.0%.
Color: 1.4, Tawny.
This is the 12th installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You can check out previous editions as well (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).
This whisky was reviewed blind courtesy of /u/dustbunna as part of a Twelve Fourteen Days of Christmas set. The note on this dram was “III (Three) French Hens”.
Nose: There is something very, very familiar with this nose. It’s very oak heavy with a bit of cherry and a bit of furniture polish.
Palate: Just like the nose it is very oak heavy. With a bit of water, you get the wood polish along with some leather. I’m reminded a lot of some sugar-free beef jerky I’ve had somewhere. Notes of artificial cherry also come up.
Finish: Pretty short. Bit of artificial cherry is all.
Guess: American Single Malt in a virgin oak cask. Probably 2-4 years of age. Around 50% ABV. I’m going to guess it is Boulder Spirits.
Reveal: Glenturret 12 Year 2020 Maiden Release.
Conclusion: Man I’m not sure I’ve been this far off in a guess in a long while. From the moment I smelled this one I was dead-set on it being a virgin oak cask single malt that was on the verge of straying too far into bourbon territory for my liking. The nose for me was so very much in line with what you might expect in that case. The palate just set me further on that course with even more of the same. Overall, I’m a bit surprised. This really didn’t jive with me and I’ve heard relatively good things about the 2020 revamp of the Glenturret lineup. More or other people I suppose.
Rating: 60.
Scotch Whisky Review #484, Highland Review #98, Whisky Network Review #648
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Scotch & Sheen 
No offense intended but did Covid do something to your senses… I have been following you for a while and used to generally agree with your palate but in the last year… really different. You also seem to diverge quite a bit from the general opinion. Nothing wrong with that but I don’t really value your reviews as much because you seem to be very idiosyncratic now in your preference. Once again, not intended as an attack, just wondering what happened in the last year or so if anything. Do you ever wonder about it?
LikeLike
No offense taken! It is certainly a fair question, especially in this day and age.
I’ll say to my knowledge, I have yet to have COVID. Never tested positive once and have never shown the symptoms of losing smell and taste.
The guy who sent me a sample did test his bottle after this and said he himself felt that his bottle went pretty flat so there is that variable I suppose.
I am saddened to hear that our palates no longer seem to be well aligned, it’s always a bummer when that starts to happen. I can’t think of much that’s happened personally that might have caused it but it’s certainly worth thinking more carefully about on my end.
I hope you’ll still swing on by on any case.
Cheers.
– Z
LikeLike