Glen Grant Major’s Reserve
Today, we have a tasting of generally available Whisky at a rather affordable price. Glen Grant Major’s Reserve. Probably many people wonder if (or rather when) would they try their first Single Malt, because after all, if we spend over 20 € on Johnnie Walker Black Label or Chivas Regal… instead of these blends, this time, they could buy a Single, because everyone knows that singles are better and even more than better than blends … (but is it really true?)
Glen Grant Major’s Reserve
Glen Grant
Scotch Single Malt
Region: Speyside
Un-peated
Bottled at 40% ABV
Chill-filtered
Matured in ex-Bourbon casks
Color: Amber -1 with a small addition of artificial caramel.
Tasting notes
Nose: alcohol strikes almost immediately. Sweet Bourbon, vanilla, toffee, fresh raspberries, wood, hay, raisins. 17/25
Palate: arugula, banana, caramel, black pepper, vanilla. It’s hot, alcoholic … at every step you feel the lack of maturity. 16/25
Finish: short and warming. Whipped cream, caramel, vanilla ice cream. 16/25
Balance: Well … it’s one of the cheapest Single Malts you can buy. Unfortunately, the quality is also quite low. Very alcoholic in smell and taste, but it is not as bad as we would expect. The price is rather adequate to the quality. On the plus side, the fact that the distillery didn’t add buckets of caramel so that Whisky would give „a better = darker impression”. Using a screw-cap instead of a cork may suggest that the distillery wanted to cut costs, etc … which is also not true. Some great distilleries also use screw-caps instead of corks (eg Macallan or many Japanese Whiskies). 18.5 / 25
Overall: 68.5 / 100
Alright. I decided to give this Whisky a last chance. I added a few drops of water … I’m waiting … and waiting …
… it didn’t help much, although the character has changed a bit. The notes of chocolate and honey appeared and it maybe a little softened.
In the end, if you want to start the adventure with Single Malts, don’t start with this one. You can be discouraged. Even Ralfy recommends mixing this Whisky with something. Maybe not necessarily with coke, but with cold sparkling water and mint, or with tonic.
It somehow passed through my mouth and the throat and I survived. There was no tragedy. However, there is absolutely nothing to compare to 12-year-old Johnnie Walker, 12-year-old Ballantines, or Chivas Regal, against which the Glen Grant featured today falls very pale.
Other reviews:
Serge (2011): 78/100
Murray (2017): 85.5 / 100
Ralfy (2014): 80/100
Price: from approx. 80 PLN.
In Germany, you can find for 16 €. If you add 20 zlotys (5 €), you can have 10 years old Bushmills Single Malt. It would definitely be a good start to the adventure with the Singles.
About Glen Grant Major’s Reserve: I do not recommend it for sipping neat.
