Elegant Glenlossie at a respectable age
Maltbarn released a very special Glenlossie last year (in 2025 that is) at a very respectable age. A sample of this landed in my lap and I thought it would be a nice one to kick off the first proper Long Pour Session of 2026. It also got me thinking, Glenlossie being one of those workhorse distilleries of Diageo, its single malt is rarely seen. There is a Flora & Fauna bottling, but mostly we have to turn to independent bottlers for a sip of this rare gem. I regularly try to write extensive blogs about whisky bottled in the Rare Malts Selection, but Glenlossie was not even in that series. One could wonder why that never happened. Weirder still, is that Mannochmore, the much younger sibling to Glenlossie, DID get a bottling.
Do you know which other United Distillers / Diageo distillery were not featured in the Rare Malts Selection, besides the Classic Malts that were deliberately excluded? Well, here goes, for your whisky quiz lists: besides Glenlossie, also Glen Spey, Glen Elgin, Knockando and Strathmill are absent from the range.
Glenlossie is actually one of the older distilleries on Speyside, even predating the economic boom of the late 19th century. It was built in 1876 by John Duff, who was a former manager at Glendronach Distillery. The distillery more or less followed the same path as so many, and ended up in the hands of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL). In 1962, stills were increased, but apparently there was even more need for malt, and in 1971 a whole new distillery was build next door, called Mannochmore. The distilleries were for a while operated on and off by the same team, but as far as I know, both are now fully operational on their own. A big difference between the two is that Glenlossie utilizes a purifier on their stills, where Mannochmore does not.
Glenlossie 29 years old, 1995 – 2025, bottled at 49,2 % abv by Maltbarn
First things first: Celebrating 250 expression by Maltbarn, this bourbon cask produced 156 bottles. The label sports a word play on London Calling, mentioning Whisky’s Calling. Punkrock yeah!
Upon Sipping: Remarkably light on the nose, with whiffs of candy cane and vanilla. With some air, more tropical notes later on, and a distinct hint of oranges. The woody notes seem to be a binding element, holding the whisky together. First time I tasted this one, I had it blind and guessed it would be a Glenburgie. Not a bad reasoning, if I say so myself, as this is also a very appreciated generic malt producing facility. This Glenlossie has a frivolity that is very enticing.
The taste is a tad woody indeed, but that is not surprising after almost 30 years in the cask. It tastes very classic, with a vanilla austerity. There is enough body to make it broader than that very general description of course. A little hot on the palate too. It is all a bit too one-dimensional, but the fruits are a delight. With a good dash of water, it becomes really tropical. The wood imprint is just too strong to propel this past the 90-points mark.
Word to the Wise: A good pick by Maltbarn, this Glenlossie at high age is quite unique to taste. On the one hand, it is very much still alive after three decades in the cask, but on the other hand it has become a tad too straight-forward. A very grounded Speyside single malt whisky.
Score: 88 points.