Glen Spey 15 YO 1999 1st Edition Single Malt

ReviewsScotchGlen Spey

Sep 16

Written By David Levine

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Speyside, Bottled by Hunter Laing

54.9% ABV/109.8 Proof, Aged 15Y in a Refill Hogshead

Distilled in 1999 and Bottled in 2014

290 bottles produced

Eye: Pale yellow, thin rims and moderate legs.

Nose: Malt sweetness quickly tempered by a very mild peat. Oak dryness and spice abounds. Heat present but not overpowering. A lemony grassiness, but not lemongrass, if that makes sense.

Palate: Burns the tip of your tongue. The liquid coats your mouth with a light, vegetal peatiness with no salinity. Peat is balanced and the malt gives a solid backbone. Mouthfeel is moderately hefty and dissipates into peat and light malt.

Finish: Long, peaty and vegetal.

Overall: A very gentle peat throughout, perhaps one I could learn to like and sip on. Does make me want to know more about this distillery, which says something in itself.

Rating: 5.6

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)

1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)