LPA Vintage Week ends with the 1990s
We come to the end of the LPA Vintage Week, and we do not go out softly, because we present three samples today. Simply because these three have been lying around for too long and deserved to be tasted. Right? Right! The 1980s and 1990s must have been the most weird decades in a long time. They came on the heels of big optimism about whisky, which resulted in the famous Whisky Lake, and on the other end is the almost unlimited and unbridled “the sky is the limit” era that only now, since 2025, is cooling down a little. In the last 25 years we have seen numerous distilleries come online, in Scotland and the whole world. We go back to the last shaky times in the industry, those between 1990 and 1999. In those years, we saw the closure of Rosebank, Bladnoch and a few other distilleries. In the end, it turned out only temporary for a few, if not for Lochside Distillery for instance, which was demolished and turned into a supermarket parking lot. Ah, the days we have seen…
Glenturret 17 years old, vintage 1990, bottled at 43 % abv by Ian MacLeod
First things first: A vatting of three hogsheads (# 650 + 651 + 659) resulted in 1182 bottles of this Glenturret distilled in October 1990. It was bottled in September 2008, just a month shy of being 18 years old. Part of the Chieftain’s Choice range.
Upon Sipping: Hm, I do not pick up anything from the glass. Light hints of mint, butterscotch cookies and delicate vanilla. The taste is equally modest, with nice fudgy notes and elements of cardboard, which I like less. The finish is spicy from wood influences, but not much more. Caramel, some honied notes, even hints of waxiness, but that is about it. With water it turns a bit more rough, robust actually, and the fudgy notes increase. I even pick up some oranges on the nose.
Word to the Wise: A single malt whisky that has gone silent inside a vatting of three casks and then a terrible dilution to 43 % abv. What remains is nothing spectacular.
Score: 78 points.
Teaninich 22 years old, vintage 1993, bottled at 51,9 % abv by Cadenhead’s
First things first: A sherry cask that produced 258 bottles when it was bottled in April 2016.
Upon Sipping: Oh, this was a very good sherry cask, opening on pretty little raisins and beautiful cigar notes. Then some tree bark and dry earth. Seems balanced. The taste opens with a salvo of bitterness, some mocca, but not much else. The finish is pretty dry, even for a sherry cask of this stature. Oi, it has trouble living up to the promise on the nose. Some citrus in the background makes me think this could have been a finish, not a full maturation. On the palate however, the dryness might well be because of full maturation. So yes, I am confused. With a drop of water, I believe the nose grows even more versatile, delicate chocolate notes. Almost like walking into the Chocolaterie in Campbeltown, if you know you know. Sadly, the palate cannot keep up.
Word to the Wise: You need to like your whiskies dark and moody, and then this Teaninich is your go-to bottle. The nose is superb, the palate and finish suffer.
Score: 82 points.
Glen Grant 25 years old, vintage 1999, bottled at 51,2 % abv by The Whisky Agency
First things first: With a hogshead that produced 203 bottles, The Whisky Agency did a “Wave farewell to 2025”.
Upon Sipping: This is a more generous single malt compared to the previous two. This Glen Grant from the last year of the 20th century shows the perfect integration between the spirit and the cask and a good stretch of time between them. This results in scrumptious peaches, strong vanilla, lots of yellow apples and pear grinded to a pulp. Nice and mushy. But now a taste, does the excellent nose carry over to the palate? Well, it has trouble keeping up, and it did not turn out as fruity as I expected after nosing it. This Glen Grant however excels at showing us loads of warm barley in a sunstricken field, at least, this is the image that comes to mind when I keep the liquid on the tongue. Warm barley, with hints of bitter leaning apricot. With a drop of water we notice a traditional development into gummi bears from Haribo, and a stronger vanilla signature. A true Speyside character, this Glen Grant by The Whisky Agency, with beautiful orchard fruit in a creaky old basket. On the tongue, more complexity now, with a waxy hint but no honey. I am even reminded of an apple cider.
Word to the Wise: A beautiful Speyside single malt whisky that needs time to bloom open, maybe even aided by some water. But then you got a classic Glen Grant in the glass that starts delivering that summer feeling we love so much in this authentic distillery. Good selection by The Whisky Agency.
Score: 88 points.