EScotland, Central Highlands: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

Advertisers on this page have been carefully selected. (see list)
Texte Français

Glenturret

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Glenturret distillery

Glenturret Distillery
The Hosh, Crieff
Perthshire
PH7 4HA
+44 1764 656 565
Owner The Edrington group.
Creation date1775

photos

Since Littlemill has been dismantled in 1997, Glenturret could be the oldest active scottish distillery, as its has been founded as soon as 1775. Some of the buildings from that time are still in use currently. The distillation is older than the licence, as some sources mention distilling in 1717 already.
Settled in a very picturesque hilly area, Glenturret was first known as Hosh Distillery. Its current name dates back to 1875.
The distillery closed in 1921 and was used as a whisky warehouse. It was partially dismantled two years later and used as a barn.
Closed from 1921 until 1959, it came back to live thanks to James Fairlie who refurbished it , being very carefully not to loose its traditional character.
From 1981 till 1990, the distillery belonged to the Cointreau company. Since 1993, it belongs to the Highland Distillers group.
Glenturret is not only famous for its whisky. It appears in the Guinness Book of records, thanks to Towser, a very great mice hunter. Towser is one of the Glenturret famous cats. Towser has killed 28899 mice.
To officialize this record, only the mice found near the stills were carefully counted. This figures do not take into account the countless rabbits, rats and pheasants who have been its victims as well.
Glenturret is one of the smallest distilleries of Scotland, and one of the most visited as well. In November 1999, the Highland Distillers group was acquired by the Edrington Group for 601 million pounds.
About 70% of the production is marketed as single malt, the remaining part being used in blends like Glenturret Malt Liquor, Fairlie Liquor (named after James Fairlie) and the Famous Grouse.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

Glenturret
whisky
O.B. 12 years 15
Ian McLeod Chieftain's Choice 11 years 15 2/3
See Help 0 - 40 € 40 - 80 € 80 - 120 € 120 - 160 € 160 - 200 € 200 - 240 € 240 - 280 € > 280 €
Glenturret: official bottlings
 

Glenturret
12 years
Age
 12 years
Alcohol
 40°
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 

Colour is deep yellow (straw). The nose is fresh and refined and marked by almond, citrus fruits and malted barley. The light palate confirms the nose, with a hint of peat.
The short finish is discrete. A nice malt for classic whisky lovers.

La maison du Whisky

A pleasant smell announces a very good whisky. The taste is slightly acid (citrus fruits) and is not really special. The finish does practically not exist... A pleasant whisky, that's all..
.
A rather discrete nose, with some fresh and slightly acid malt notes, a rather sweet taste, but unimpressive and with a lack at complexity and a finish leaving no great remembrances...
.
 

Comment by J.L Zamora

Very refreshing and refined, citric touches a bit sweet also nut.
Palate: not this one at the level of the nose, citrus fruits, touch to dried fruits nut and a certain sweetness ultimately and a bit of very light peaty. Very light palate
78/100

Back to summary table
Glenturret: independent bottlings
 

Glenturret
11 years
Chieftain's Choice
Age
11 years
Alcohol
 43°
Bottler
 Ian McLeod
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
 
The nose reveals cut grass and citrus fruits. The taste confirms the nose, and is slightly malted.
The finish is long and pleasant. 
A pleasant whisky from the middle of the Highlands. This whisky can be considered as a classic one, very good, but without surprises.  

At the second tasting, the nose was really marked by citrus (orange). A kind of acidity in the smell. The taste is rather acid as well even if it is nicely fresh, with some malt on the background. The finish is of average length, still marked by the freshness and acidity.

The nose is rather woody and slightly marked by citrus fruits (a very light touch of acidity) on a floral background. In the palate, a great sweetness and still the presence of citrus fruits (tangerine) and a very slight woody touch. The finish is interesting and more marked by wood than the nose and palate were. However, wood is not really dominating. The finish is quite long and pleasant. The quotation at the third tasting is higher than at the preceding ones.

After a first quite fruity nose, pleasant and complex malt fragrances mixed with cut grass and a hint of yeast follow.
The very first mouth is rather fresh as well, with a kind of candy acidity, and light hints of hazelnut. The overall feeling is sweetness rather than great complexity.
The finish is not tool long, but a memory of sweet and light bitterness prolongs for a while. A kind of decreasing finish.
  Back to summary table

Central Highlands

Central Highlands map

The County of Perth, between the Lowlands and the Higlands is famous for its hilly landscapes.
About one hundred distilleries were settled in the area during the 19th century, and just a few of them survived, and some others were build during the 20th century. The area is wider than just the Perth county, as Dalwinnie, in the South of Inverness county is also included in that area.

<< previous distillery << >> next distillery >>

Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information
about the Central Highlands area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please
click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

62 - 3