Glen Garioch was one of the distilleries I started my journey with. They’re a bit of an underdog in the scene, but definitely worth exploring. The 12yo and Founder’s Reserve are great daily drams, but these Vintage Batches offer a whole different experience.

1995 was the last year Glen Garioch officially peated their barley, albeit in a very minimalistic manner. The distillery was closed in 1995 and reopened in 1997. The older the vintage, the more peat the whisky contains. We have a two different bottles from 1990, which demonstrates that beautifully.

But peat or no peat, Glen Garioch always has a bit of an earthy taste to it, which we are a fan of. The Glen Garioch we have here, has matured on first fill bourbon barrels and is bottled at cask strength (55.3% in this case).

Beautifully fresh and sweet. A perfect demonstration of maturation in bourbon barrels!