Glendullan 26 Years old Rare Malts Selection 56.6% 1978

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (88)

From the final batch of the Rare Malts series.

Colour: straw.

Nose: as hot but grainier and maybe simpler at first nosing… But it’s soon to adopt more or less the same profile. Mashed potatoes and porridge, boiled cereals, fresh butter, fresh herbs (chive, watercress). It gets then fruitier than the Scott, on peaches… Some rather bold notes of mint tea, verbena, a little bergamot… Certainly cleaner, although there are some meaty notes as well.

Mouth: it’s very different this time, much more explosive, with a ‘punchy’ mix of liquorice and fruits (ripe apricots and melons). Hot caramel, grains, maybe a little lavender crème and something pleasantly prickly (icing sugar, pear drops). Let’s add a little water now (… while the nose gets a little farmier as usual, but also mintier)… Yes, it gets more drinkable, more playful (lots of acidic fruits like lemons, fresh pineapples, apricots, kiwis) and sweeter and more rounded, as expected (light caramel and honey).

It’s good and the finish is rather long, sweet and bitter in a nice way, with something waxy in the background.

Probably not a total winner but certainly one of the very best Glendullans I ever had. Not ‘dull’ at all!

BOW (88)

This is an old vintage bottle and the closure may have deteriorated; When opening care should be taken. The item is sold as described.