Tasting Glen Grant 5 decades

Glen Grant whisky has been popular as a single malt a bit longer than a lot of the other distilleries. This has a lot to do with their focus on a good quality entry level single malt named the major’s reserve. This has been very popular on mainland Europe, mainly in France and Spain.

It’s also been very popular for older expressions with independent bottlers. One of my first pup memories in Scotland is seeing a rack with Glen Grant whisky bottles aged 12 to 50 on the counter, all with the same Gordon & McPhail distillery label.

So, with the young stuff being pretty good value and the old stuff at times spectacular, it would be interesting so see what a single malt with both young and old barrels in it would taste like. The folks at Glen Grant thought so too.

When Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm retired after being with the company for 5 decades, the perfect opportunity arose to make it happen. Hence the ‘5 decades’ expression, where Malcolm chose whisky from each decade he worked in to create this rather exciting single malt. I did the original tastenotes for the old Dutch blog with Werner Van den Nouwelant, and we had a wee retaste before I wrote up this article.

Nose:

Malty sweetness! Apple, pear, banana, vanilla, raspberry, strawberry, citrus, lime and light mint. Fruitella candies! Those last one are your typical fruit tasting candy for those who don’t know the brand.

Mouth:

Apple, pear, raspberry, strawberry, vanilla, light pepper and Fruitella. A nice harmony to it all.

Finish:

Pepper, raisin, vanilla, apple, pear, nutmeg, raspberry. They fruit is still there but is now supported by some nice spicy tones. It keeps on lingering, the length of the finish most likely provided by the older participants of this vatting. We both seriously enjoyed this Glen Grant whisky.

So, while there are young and old whiskies in this vatting, the taste and experience are mostly what you can expect from an older expression: complex yet balanced with a long finish. Soft but full of character. This shows that while you don’t always need old whisky, a few older barrels do come a long way.

While this does not have a strict age statement, I don’t consider it a NAS expression. After all you have a very good indication of the age of what is in the bottle. Or should I say ages?

This whisky reminds me of: Stevie Nicks

Sounds soft and sweet yet with a lot of depth. Has been around for a long time now, but relevant the whole time.

The Data:

The whiskey: Glen Grant 5 decades
Released by: Official bottling
Bottled: 2015
Alcohol percentage: 46%

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4 thoughts on “Tasting Glen Grant 5 decades

  • June 27, 2019 at 12:38 pm
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    This Glen Grant 5 Decades whiskey seems like a delightful product and I am sure you enjoyed the tasting. I will have to look to see if they bring it to the UAE, at times you can get only limited brands of whiskey and they only carry certain varieties too.

    If we are lucky and it is available, I definitely want to try it out, The mix of 5 decades of different brews sound wonderful. I imagine it is priced mid-range too, not as high as some 20, 3o or more old whiskeys, but much more than the recent brews. I do not mind paying for quality, so that is not a big factor.

    Do you know if they are exporting this internationally and in particular are they bringing it into the UAE? If not, I will have to wait until I get back to the USA later in the year, I am sure I will find it there. I would love to see some images of your tasting, I am sure it must have been a good time.

    Reply
    • June 27, 2019 at 12:51 pm
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      We certainly do have a good time on those tasting sessions. I typically Invite at least one friend with some experience to have a sounding board. As for getting one, I’m sure some USA shops do have it. Although it has been a limited edition there are some bottles left to be found here and there. Anyway if I can recommend a store that ships to the UAE: 

      https://www.masterofmalt.com/delivery-shipping/

      No affiliate link as I stated I don’t take any percentage on any alcohol because of neutrality of review 🙂
      I don’t think they have this one anymore but they have an awesome range.

      Reply
  • June 27, 2019 at 12:40 pm
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    Hi

    Glen Grant 5 Decades sounds like a delicious single malt scotch, there’s nothing more relaxing than sitting in front of an open fire and enjoying a single malt in the evening. I normally have a preference for the peaty Islay varieties but this sounds nice so I’ll have to get myself a bottle, and maybe listen to a little Stevie Nicks to complete the mood.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • June 27, 2019 at 12:46 pm
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      That certainly sounds like a plan. I obviously like all malt styles, depends on my mood if I go for peated, sherried or just a more fruity speyside style. Any favorite from Islay? I’ll try to review one of those next 🙂

      Reply

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