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Jesus of Cool, I'm bad, I'm nationwide
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- Nov 14, 2003
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Glenugie 26yo Eastern Highland Single Malt Scotch, Limited Edition, tall bottle, wood box packaging, 700ml, 92 proof, about $165.
Glenugie started distilling in 1837 and struggled for many years before being dismantled in 1983. There was never an official bottling so one must go to the independent bottler to try some. In this case Murray McDavid's Mission III Limited Edition. This bottle is 149 of 498 and when I purchased it you couldn't buy it in the US. There has since been a small release of bottles here at about the same $165 price point.
I had a friend stop by yesterday that I hadn't seen since his return from Bosnia in November. He has had a few malts in his day but never a Glenugie so that was what we opened.
Glenugie has had a reputation of varying quality over the years and the one other time I had some it was fairly unremarkable. However, knowing the ability of Jim McEwan to pick out exceptional casks for his Mission Series and the high recommendation of Arthur Motley I decided to give it another try. It doesn't hurt that Michael Jackson rates this very highly too calling it "an absolute cracker."
This Glenugie was distilled in 1977 in Oak Bourbon Refill Casks; its color is a light goldish yellow. It noses very clean like sun-dried sheets in a sea breeze. Apples pears and a hint of apricot slowly come out as you swirl this in your glass. The sweetness from the bourbon casks surrounds all very quietly, much less then if this were aged in first fill casks. Tasting is much more straightforward then the nose suggests. Fruit surrounded by sea and followed a nutty oak are the main flavors but none is in control until the very end when oak ends the finish.
While not inexpensive the cost is a bargain when compared with other good whiskies of this age. A Balvenie 25 is in the $250 area for example and a Macallan 25 is $300. Certainly not a beginners scotch but if you have the desire to have a taste of this lost distillery, this is the bottle to get.
Glenugie started distilling in 1837 and struggled for many years before being dismantled in 1983. There was never an official bottling so one must go to the independent bottler to try some. In this case Murray McDavid's Mission III Limited Edition. This bottle is 149 of 498 and when I purchased it you couldn't buy it in the US. There has since been a small release of bottles here at about the same $165 price point.
I had a friend stop by yesterday that I hadn't seen since his return from Bosnia in November. He has had a few malts in his day but never a Glenugie so that was what we opened.
Glenugie has had a reputation of varying quality over the years and the one other time I had some it was fairly unremarkable. However, knowing the ability of Jim McEwan to pick out exceptional casks for his Mission Series and the high recommendation of Arthur Motley I decided to give it another try. It doesn't hurt that Michael Jackson rates this very highly too calling it "an absolute cracker."
This Glenugie was distilled in 1977 in Oak Bourbon Refill Casks; its color is a light goldish yellow. It noses very clean like sun-dried sheets in a sea breeze. Apples pears and a hint of apricot slowly come out as you swirl this in your glass. The sweetness from the bourbon casks surrounds all very quietly, much less then if this were aged in first fill casks. Tasting is much more straightforward then the nose suggests. Fruit surrounded by sea and followed a nutty oak are the main flavors but none is in control until the very end when oak ends the finish.
While not inexpensive the cost is a bargain when compared with other good whiskies of this age. A Balvenie 25 is in the $250 area for example and a Macallan 25 is $300. Certainly not a beginners scotch but if you have the desire to have a taste of this lost distillery, this is the bottle to get.
