Scotch Whisky Review #545: Glen Elgin 15 Year (2006) CS James & Sons for Inn’s+ x ICST

Distillery: Glen Elgin.

Bottler: Aqua Vitae.

Region: Speyside.

Age: 15 year. Distilled in July 2006, Bottled in October 2021.

ABV: 50.8%. Cask Strength.

Cask Number: 1800353.

Cask Type: Hogshead.

Price: £80 at auction for this and a Croftengea picked for the same organization.

Color: 0.3, Pale Gold. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

This is the eighteenth installment of this year’s Christmas Countdown. You can find previous installments here.

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Nose: It’s a nice and fresh mix of notes. You get some grassy notes along with some bright lemon notes. There’s a slightly creamy element here as well.

Palate: A rather bright dram. The lemon and grass notes from the nose are back. They’re joined by a nice, sharp green apple note as well.

Finish: Medium in length. Malt biscuits and graham crackers.

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Conclusion: This Glen Elgin was picked by the International Connoisseur Society of Taiwan for Inn’s+, a Michelin Bib Gourmond Taiwanese restaurant. Given the stats and the parties involved, I would have hoped for something a little more complex and nuanced than this is. As it stands, it is a nice but simple dram. There’s a nice consistency of bright lemon and grass notes throughout. The slightly earthier notes of malt biscuits and graham crackers in the finish add some much needed depth but ultimately, this comes across as a rather basic whisky. I do think this would make an excellent highball, something I’ll look forward to doing when summer rolls back around.

Rating: 77.

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Scotch Whisky Review #545, Speyside Review #93, Whisky Network Review #713

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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.