Glen Grant distillery was founded by John & James Grant who applied for their license to distill in 1840.

In 1872 the distillery passed down the family to John 'The Major' Grant (born in 1847) after the founding Brothers had passed away.

The boom times of 1900 saw him expand the distillery an install the tall slender stills which are the style still used today.

When 'The Major' Grant died in 1931 the distillery passed to his Grandson Douglas MacKessack.

1972 saw Glen Grant and The Glenlivet merge with Hill Thomson & Co. Ltd and also Longmorn Distilleries Ltd to form The Glenlivet Distillers Ltd.

In 2006 Campari took over Glen Grant as Pernod Ricard acquired Allied Domecq.

Glen Grant is a Speyside distillery located in Rothes, Morayshire and operates 8 stills, (4 wash, 4 spirit). it is also one of the top 3 single malt producers in Scotland with a capacity of almost 6 million litres of pure alcohol per year.

More great distillery info here thanks to Malt Madness

Distillery photos by kind permission of Teun van Wel

Glen Grant, (OB), NAS, 40% ABV

Original cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Very pale yellow / light gold

Nose: Malt, hay, Fresh vanilla and a touch of lemon

Palate: Initially light with hints of liquorice, expanding to include some coconut and hints of creamy toffee.

Finish: Medium

Overall Impression: A light whisky with hints of grass, toffee and coconut. Mediocre.

Glen Grant, Royal Wedding Reserve, 25y, 40% ABV

Original cost of this bottle; Unknown

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Rich gold / light oak

Nose: Suggestions of perfumed cereal and grassiness with some floral notes (rose garden?).

Palate: An oily mouth-feel with grassiness, leafiness and those hints of cereal from the nose.

Finish: Long and warming.

Overall Impression: A typically light Glen Grant with some very nice aromas and flavours.

Archives, Glen Grant 1975, 46.6% ABV

Original cost of this bottle  €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Golden cork

Nose: Extremely aromatic wood, some furniture polish and then vanilla accompanied by a selection of dark fruits (think plums & raisins). Is that a hint of raspberry and maybe even gooseberry appearing?

Palate: Soft, gentle and very creamy mouth-feel. Lots of fruitiness here too with raspberry, apricot and a suggestion of peach. In fact I'm now thinking of peach melba ice cream. I also find a hint of citrus and light grassiness with lemon & lime zest leading into the finish.

Finish: Long and creamy with that hint of citrus.

Overall Impression: I'm impressed, very impressed. This is a marvellous Glen Grant.

BBR, Glen Grant, 1972, 51.8%

Cask 744/9

Original cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Teak

Nose: Aromatically perfumed Alpine cheese which just expands more and more with time in the glass. Eventually including some light woody aromas but always very aromatic, lightly perfumed and with those cheese notes, which I actually like!

Palate: A delightful creaminess leads to wood and raisins with hints of that Alpine cheese. Always rich, soft and creamy mouth-feel.

Finish: Long and sophisticated

Overall Impression: Quite delightful even, or especially, including that cheese!

BBR, Glen Grant, 1974-2012, 37y, 47.8%

Cask Ref. 7643

Original cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Sample thanks to MMA 2013

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Amber

Nose: My first thoughts are of a gentle woodiness followed by distinct sherry notes of leather, nuttiness and dark cherries.

Palate: Suggestions of black peppercorn, dark cherries, raisins, currants and wood.

Finish: Long and rich with the mildest suggestion of coconut right at the end.

Overall Impression: Lovely sherry character.

Duncan Taylor, Glen Grant, 2.1970 - 8.2009, 39y, 51.6%

"Rare Auld", sherry cask No.844, one of 143 bottles

Original cost of this bottle; Unknown

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Rich dark oak

Nose: Raisins marinated in furniture polish? Now there's a combination! Then floral coconut milk and after some minutes the fruitiness expands further and intensifies. After yet more minutes I sense a delightfully fruity creamy coffee, cappuccino anyone?

Palate: A big fruitiness suggesting raisins, plums and figs with oil of orange and dark chocolate. There's also a hint of that coffee-ness leading towards the finish.

Finish: Long and rich.

Overall Impression: Quite amazing with oodles of character. A "Great" in my book.

Maltbarn, Glen Grant 40y, 51.6% ABV

Distilled 1972, bottled 2012

Original cost of this bottle  Unknown

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Dark oak, almost amber

Nose: Initial suggestion of very aromatic roast beef, somehow almost perfumed or is that a herbal roast? After a few minutes in the glass it develops a freshness which is almost medicinal.

Palate: Not as intense as the nose but it still has a mildly perfumed herbal-ness. All very nice but quite mild and subdued.

Finish: Surprisingly long.

Overall Impression: A good whisky, great nose but just a little something lacking on the palate.

Whisky Agency, Glen Grant, 36y, 1973-2010, 53.6% ABV

Sherry wood, one of 251 bottles

Original cost of this bottle; Unknown

Glass: Munich whisky fair

Colour: Rich gold

Nose: Oak with lots of aromatic butterscotch.

Palate: Aromatic vanilla and oak, as though served as an ice cream!

Finish: Long and fruity

Overall Impression: A good enough whisky but compared the the sensational whisky Doris 38y example above I feel it lacks just a little something to be in the same class.

Whisky Doris, Glen Grant, 38y, 52.4% ABV

Original cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Dram-atics "Advent-urous" live review

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Glowing rich amber

Nose: In the foreground of the nose is a very well looked after and polished solid oak dining table, but after a few minutes this lightens somewhat to include some delightful and extremely floral notes, almost akin to my favourite Alpine meadow in full Spring-time bloom.

Palate: I can only describe this as 'full power' as it exhudes that well polished oak whilst still managing to find room for fresh herbal flora.

Just 4 drops of water manage to make this even more intensely floral and also considerably smoother on the palate.

A further 4 drops of water now create a much lighter nose which is still very floral, whereas the palate still comprises lots of that lovely old oak, but somehow appears more 'open'.

Finish: Delightfully long, very long, maybe extremely long, but no matter how long it is, it just can't be long enough as I could savour this for at least the next month or two.

What can I say? This is a delightful whisky, a truly magnificent example which I feel is destined for greatness in my own hall of Dram-tabulous fame. In fact, this wonderful dram has replaced the Yamazaki heavily peated single cask at No.10.

G&M Glen Grant, 58y, 1953, 47.9%

"Book of Kells" for LMDW, Sherry Butt, Cask No.2604

Original cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Reviewed as part of MMA 2012

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Rich dark as they get.

Nose: Gently smoking wood embers at the end of an open fire, also antique leather furniture, then after some minutes lightly fruity and floral notes begin to develop in the background. This just exudes "big & old" was one of my blind notes in MMA 2012.

Palate: Very big and rich. Toasted but certainly not scorched or burned. Some liquorice too, maybe even light coffee beans.

Finish: Long with a dryness right at the end.

Overall Impression: This was quite a challenge for me in MMA 2012 (blind), it's certainly multi-faceted with an overall cocktail of rich age with a light vitality. Very, very good whisky.

LMdW (G&M) "Book of Kells", Glen Grant, 59y, 49.2%

Refill American Hogshead No.1134, distilled 15.3.1952

Original cost of this bottle; €€€€€ to €€€€€ ???

Reviewed as part of MMA 2011

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Bright very dark gold

Nose: Immediately intense with very floral or lightly perfumed malt. There really are some great notes in this nose, all based around flora, light perfume and even a suggestion of the great outdoors (countryside). This is all eventually completed by butterscotch and light toffee.

Palate: There's fruity wood concentrated on the middle of the palate as slightly bitter fruits play on the sides. A hint of coconut? Well, there's certainly apple and raspberry crumble with custard.

Finish: Long, fruity, very lively and energetic

Overall Impression: Wonderful, an absolute "Great" at any price!

G&M, Glen Grant, 60y, 1952-2012, 42.3% ABV

Commemmorative Edition of 85 Decanters for

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee, 2012

Original cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Rich golden yellow

Nose: very vibrant and offering a subtle creaminess, lots of apple and just a hint of cinnamon just like an excellent apple strudel. There's even a hint of the vanilla sauce it would be served with. Light floral or even very faint herbal nuances follow with the slightest suggestion of something almost meaty, in a Sunday roast kind of way. Could this be a roast pork joint with a herbal crust? Even more floral notes appear with time in the glass and finally suggest rose petals, or even a rose oil fragrance.

Palate: There's an abundance of flora on the palate with a hint of something citrus or even pine-cone like. The apple nuances from the nose translate nicely onto the palate, albeit without the cinnamon, but with some slight pepperiness. The palate also offers a hint of light toffee or even butterscotch leading into the extremely long finish which is slightly bitter and certainly quite dry at the end.

Finish: Extremely long.

Overall Impression: Amazing lightness and complexity for such an aged whisky. In fact I am again very pleasantly surprised by the characteristics of an amazingly old Glen Grant. I can only hope I'm as light and vibrant at 60 as this is. This is bordering upon my scale of "Greatness", almost, but just not quite although it is truly excellent.

Glen Grant 1950-2010

60y

G&M 40% abv

Glen Grant 1950-2010 60y G&M 40%

Is this really 60 years old? Yes it is and what a vibrant colour it has too with a rich oaky appearance offering great clarity. After so long in the cask it's no surprise that the nose offers a little woodiness, but certainly not too much. Then comes a hint of smokiness over good old-fashioned beeswax furniture polish. This soon opens further to include something creamy (creme caramel maybe?) with a gentle nuttiness reminiscent specifically of hazelnuts, but all wrapped in a gently aromatic floral character. Truly astounding for its age!

That woodiness and hazel-nuttiness are also apparent on the palate in quite a dry way, but far from unpleasant. Suddenly the palate opens further to include a fruitiness perhaps with hints of raisin and (almost) raspberry before the nuttiness morphs more into almond (marzipan) than hazelnut.

The finish is long and lingering with that gentle fruity, nutty dryness.

Glen Grant 1950-2015

65y Cask 2747

G&M for Wealth Solutions

Glen Grant 1950-2015 65y G&M for Wealth Solutions, Poland

If I had to ask if the last one was really 60 years old, what about this one? Distillate from the same year; 1950, but left to mature for a further 5 years until Autumn this year ensuring a full pensionable age of 65 years!

If anything the colour is slightly lighter with even more clarity than the 60y, but the first real surprise is in the astonishing fragrance of the nose. This is just so light, fragrant & aromatic that although it shows great maturity it defies that pensionable age with amazing floral and fruity notes alongside a faint creamy hint of beeswax furniture polish (again, but so much more delightfully fragrant).

The first impression from the palate is one of a mouth-warming, lightly spiced character which follows with mildly peppery coconut, tropical fruitiness and even a suggestion of golden syrup spread thinly on a shortbread biscuit on the back of the palate. Stunning, amazingly so!

The finish can only be described as everlasting, warming and comforting. Is there such a thing as "comfort whisky"?

I tried the above two whiskies in a head-to-head so I'll give my overall impression(s) together as a summary:

My overall impression of these two whiskies is one of excellence and master-crafting. It can't be denied that both are "Greats" in my opinion. The 60y had truly amazing characteristics across the nose and finish but the palate was slightly less amazing with that dryness. Did I say less amazing? It was still a "Great" whisky which deserves a score of 90 points from me. If I'd have scored on just the nose and finish it would have been more like 93-94 points. But 90 it is overall.

As for the 65y bottling I'm struggling a little; firstly for the correct superlatives and secondly to decide whether this is the single best whisky I ever tried or just as good as my previous best which was a 48y Karuizawa Cask 3603, scoring 96 points from me? This is a real dilemma as that Karuizawa was magnificent but so is this Glen Grant. It offers so much vitality, fragrance, character and depth of flavours that I'm still trying to comprehend what I just experienced. I'll revisit this in the next day or so but suffice to say we're talking superlatives and a score somewhere in the 96-97 range. Watch this space for an update - soon!

Update; I promised an update as to my decision on this magnificent whisky and after much consideration and a re-test I really think it's just a little better than that Karuizawa, maybe not a full point better, but certainly a little. So here goes ....... 96.5pts from me!

G&M Glen Grant, 52y, 1961, 40%

Cask No.6200, distilled 25.12.1961, bottled 12.12.2014

Original cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Amber

Nose: Light sherry aromas with a suggestion of red wine alongside woodiness.A fruitiness reminiscent of raisins, dark cherries and even banana stem.

Palate: The fruitiness of red wine and cherries come through strongly on the palate although it is a little watery. There's also something mildly spicy perhaps like black pepper.

With 2-3 drops of water: The nose is milder and the palate is a little more bitter with added hints of marzipan.

Finish: Very long and fruity.

Overall Impression: Delightful whisky with just the wateriness (probably due to being 40%) preventing it being a "Great".

G&M Glen Grant, 59y, 1954, 40%

Cask Nos.1821 & 1822

 distilled 24.4.1954, bottled 3.2.2014

Original cost of this bottle; €€€€€

Glass: Classic Malt

Colour: Mahogony, rich & dark

Nose: A rich dark fruitiness (currants, raisins, dark cherries) with lots of old oaky woodiness but the whole thing is also really quite musty.

Palate: Dry on the palate with lots of that fruitiness from the nose with the addition of lightly roasted chestnuts but again it's all very musty.

With 3 drops of water: The mustiness has disappeared but it's now really quite watery on the palate.

Finish: Medium to long and dry.

Overall Impression: This tasting sample was from the last dregs which had been in the bottle for quite some time so I'm not sure if the mustiness was due to being open with exposure to air for too long or not. The underlying characteristics of this whisky are otherwise brilliant. But this sample on this day were more OK-ish than brilliant.