Elgin based Independent bottlers Gordon & Macphail have been releasing some belting whiskies recently and one of their latest is a 1995 Glenlossie under their Connoisseurs Choice label (£39.99). Reasons for our excitement around this whisky include the fact that it’s matured exclusively in 1st Fill or fresh sherry casks and it is incredible value for money. We’re suckers for whisky matured in fresh sherry casks due to the wonderful sweet fruit and spicy complexity that these casks give to the whisky. They’re also becoming harder and harder to source due to the majority of distillers using ex-bourbon hogsheads. The price of a sherry cask can be up to 5 or 6 times the price of a bourbon cask. I personally love a combination of the two as I think the flavour components blend brilliantly together but the opportunity and lure for a small amount of this Glenlossie was too hard to pass up. Bottled just last year, this is an 18yo Single Speyside Malt that must be taken seriously. Owned by Diageo, 99% of their production goes into blending but thankfully the remaining 1% accounts for true classics like this. The nose displays ripe banana, coconut and orange peel aromas initially. Complimented by charred oak and menthol notes. On the palate I get cracked black pepper initially with pineapple, grapefruit and dark chocolate flavours becoming creamy with a touch of nutmeg. You might get something altogether different but either way, it’s sensational.
Glenlossie 1995 Connoisseurs Choice
For DoddieAid 2024 teams of cyclists from all over the UK propelled themselves across Europe through the bitter March weather to reach Rome ahead of the Scotland v Italy Six Nations match on 9th March.
