Glenlossie: the ideal malt for blending purposes
One thing I loved doing during my stay in Speyside in June was just jump in the car, fire up the navigation and go “distillery hopping”. With virtually a production site on every corner, I truly exhausted my camera folder by snapping pictures. I have to say, I was mightily surprised by how beautiful the Glenlossie Distillery is situated in an unassuming village very close to Elgin. The classical pagoda roof just appeared around the bend, as if it stood there forever, or since 1876 anyway. The roots are tight in whisky history, as the founder of Glenlossie had already made his mark at Glendronach. John Duff was joined by Alexander Grigor Allan (later owning Talisker), whisky trader George Thomson, Charles Shirres and a certain H. Mackay. Duff, Thomson and Shirres would eventually also found the Longmorn Distillery, just 20 years later. Glenlossie produced its malt, and was in 1919 absorbed into the Distillers Company Limited (DCL), which means that now it is in the hands of Diageo. In 1971, a neighbouring distillery was built under the name Mannochmore. The site is also the location for a dark grains plant. All is still very visible today. I never actually realised how closely related Glenlossie and Mannochmore are, but trust me when I say they are almost joined at the hip!
Glenlossie (and Mannochmore) are not really known for single malt releases by Diageo. These are two excellent workhorses for blended Scotch, with Glenlossie able to make close to 4 million litres of alcohol per year. I do not know if, considering the declining interest in whisky worldwide, the two distilleries work at the same time. According to the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2026, this has been the case since 2007. I drove past on a Sunday, which seemed to be properly quiet. In any case, Glenlossie seems to have a shorter fermentation time compared to the almost identical Mannochmore, which results in a greener spirit. We found an independent bottling to test if this is true.
Glenlossie 12 years old, bottled at 46 % abv by Cadenhead’s
First things first: Distilled in 2013, matured in bourbon hogsheads and bottled in June 2026 in the new style bottle Original Collection by Cadenhead’s.
Upon Sipping: Beautifully clean and shiny, like a diamond ring on the hand of a newlywed. I suspected nothing less when I saw the bright white wine colour. The main ingredient is very clear to me, this is pure barley! The vanilla infusion has created something that is closer to green melons. The taste is more luscious, with an oily arrival on the palate, and almost giving the idea of taking a sip of warm milk. Maybe a taste of skim on top of it when you boil too long. The finish reveals that these bourbon hogsheads have not taken away all rough edges yet, as the exit is a tad prickly and hot. With water, a more grassy character is revealed, with fruity notes pushed back a little. The taste does not improve that much, stays fatty and mouth covering, which makes for a sticky drinking experience. One can imagine this is the perfect glue to hold a blend together. Glenlossie mainly goes into Haig Gold, I understand.
Word to the Wise: Malt for blending purposes, but incredibly interesting to sip it like this and experience how this is the perfect ingredient for a broader composition. Fat stuff!
Score: 83 points.