Glenrothes 24 Years Old Cadenhead Small Batch 55.7% 1990

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (87)

Let's see if once again, a real small batch (not 30,000 bottles) beats single casks because of some additional complexity. Colour: coffee. Nose: coffee. I'm not joking, this reeks of coffee (with schnapps), with also a good deal of gunpowder and flints. Quite a lot of burnt black raisins too, very dark caramel, then black tobacco (Gauloises) and touches of leather and perhaps fennel. With water: burnt cardboard, black cigars (maduros, or this funny cigar made in Italy called Toscani - kills a rhino)... In short everything's quite black. Mouth (neat): heavy, bitter in a good way, very burnt, with many spicy fruitcakes and loads of muscovado sugar. Cloves and tar. As 'black' as it gets. With water: becomes kirschy and funnily spicy-fruity. Mulled wine, more burnt sugar. Finish: very long. Coffee-slivovitz. Comments: a very extreme one, perhaps for lovers of sherry monsters only. Some sides remind me of the old Macallans Cask Strength.

Words of Whisky (91)

:

A true sherry monster that shows enough complexity and maturity to rise way above your average sherry bomb (a'bunadh or Glendronach CS). I absolutely adore this whisky.
Nose
Very powerful sherry, sweet and dark. Red berries, plums and black berries with cocoa powder, coffee and polished leather. There is a hint of sulphur. It is very reminiscent of the Glenrothes 1990/2002 W&M, except a little better integrated and more powerful.
Taste
Dried dates, cherry syrup and dark chocolate. Some brown sugar and caramel as well. No sulphur here and it has a pretty meaty mouthfeel to it.
Finish
Sweet (golden syrup) with a hint of smoke. Long and slightly dry

BOW (90)

Cadenhead's official tasting notes:

Nose: Huge sherry; very meaty with liqueur chocolates. Roasting pan juices with figs and poached pears.
Palate: More massive sherry - grab a knife and fork for this. Lots of marzipan, quite creamy like a sherry trifle and then more meatiness grows.
Finish: Huge sherry tussles with dried oranges, soft black pepper and a little rubber. One for the hardcore sherry fans.