Description
COLOUR : Deep burnished gold, clear and bright
NOSE : Elegantly inviting nose with sweet coffee cake and burnt sugar with a whiff of rich BBQ smoke
PALATE : Glenturret’s distinctive malt character shines through with more rich BBQ smoke, notes of chocolate brownie, gentle salt and ginger spice
FOOD MATCH : Smoked salmon, cheddar and capers
Despite the long history and changes of ownership, Glenturret has remained a truly traditional craft operation, giving us a glimpse and a taste of the past. Each aspect of the production process is done by hand, in the traditional manner, so much so that Glenturret today tastes almost exactly as it did 240 years ago.
To produce quality whisky, you need not only a decent plan but quality ingredients. To that end Glenturret sources high quality barley from Simpsons Malt and the purest water from the Loch Turret, about 6km from the distillery. Malted barley is ground in an original grist mill and then fed into the last remaining hand-operated mash tun in Scotland. This process gives far greater control of the mash, resulting in more sugar extraction and ultimately more alcohol and flavour.
Like most truly hand made things, nothing is rushed and everything takes its time. In the case of the Glenturret though, there’s good reason for it. The next step in the process sees the Glenturret’s Douglas Fir wash back ferment the wash for up to 100 hours. This is longer than your typical fermentation time, and adds to The Glenturret’s distinctive fruity characteristics. Time is taken through the distillation of the spirit too, with a very slow still run, creating an unmatched lightness and sweetness. It takes generations of experience to hone these techniques, and this same experience has taught the stillmen to cut the spirit by eye (much of this automated these days) using their hand operated spirit safe. The stills themselves feature unique designs, with a tall wash still helping to create a very light spirit. And of course, Glenturret’s pot stills are made of hand beaten copper, but we wouldn’t expect anything less. Once distilled, the heart of the run gets pumped to the filling store, where it’s cut with Loch Turret water then filled into ex-Bourbon and ex-sherry casks where it rests ‘til matured to perfection.
Predominantly producing unpeated whisky, Glenturret also produces a small amount of very heavily peated spirit known as Ruadh Mhor, or Big Red, for The Famous Grouse Smoky Black. Working on a ratio of 40% Ruadh Mhor to 60% regular unpeated spirt, the team combine 6 to 7 year old Ruadh Mhor (17 to 20 ppm measured in the new make) with minimum 10 year old regular Gleturret to mirror the ancient Glenturret style.
A different beast to Islay peat which you may or may not love, the sublime Glenturret displays a wonderfully subtle smokiness that’s smooth and inviting, making way for freshly baked brownies, and a sweet yet slightly salty, smoky taste and a soft, lingering finish.
Due to the Famous Grouse connection, there’s been very little official Glenturret single malt available over the years, and we’re extremely lucky and excited to have this in Australia for the first time ever, exclusive to the Club. Enjoy!
