Glen Ord The Singleton of Glen Ord 38 Years Old 49.6% NV

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (92)

This is the new wonder, composed by one of Diageo’s main – albeit discreet – top slingers, Mrs Maureen Robinson. It is a kind of reverse-finishing, meaning that she decided to re-rack some bourbon casks into various seasoned woods (including PX, naturally) after just 12 years, and to let that ‘finishing’ period last for 26 further years. The owners are talking about ‘finishing’ but that’s actually double-maturation, is it not? Anyway, we all remember the old ‘square’ Glen Ord 30yo, so expectations are super-high. There should be beeswax in the menu! Colour: full gold. Nose: that old 30 yo instantly springs to mind. Beeswax in abundance, old Sauternes, a few medicinal touches (camphor, embrocations), a lot of orange blossom water, earl grey, kumquats, heather honey, orange zests, a touch of plasticine, petit manseng (white wines from Jurançon), old waxed papers, ‘opening a beehive’… Well this nose is extra-ord-inary indeed (oh no, not again!) Mouth: we’re in old liqueurs territory, really. I suppose a world-class mixologist could almost replicate this for a wealthy patron. Let’s try, I would select old yellow chartreuse, triple-sec, a little pine bud liqueur, a few drops of Scandinavian tar liqueur, probably some fig arrak, and perhaps a few drops of old blue curaçao. But don’t fear, this old Ord is not blue. But shake or stir? No ideas, I’m anything but a mixologist (as you could just notice). Finish: rather long, creamy, with a little more vanilla, apricot jam, quinces, more beeswax and honeys… The pine-y and camphory notes are back in the aftertaste. Comments: very interesting because you might feel that there’s both something old and something pretty fresh in this one. A senior athlete, in other words. I find it absolutely superb.

BOW (92)