Glen Mhor was founded in 1892 and started distilling in 1894. The distiller was situated in inverness, along with Glen Albyn and Millburn, which all have gone to sleep now. Glen Mhor was the first ever distillery to use a saladin box for the malting process. They stopped doing that in 1980 to cut costs. The distillery were not only the first to install a saladin box, but also one of the first distilleries to use steam heating for their stills. DCL took ownership of the distillery in 1979 and closed it some 14 years later as they also did with Glen Albyn Distillery. Today the distillery site is a Coop grocery store, needless to say, times have not been kind to old Glen Mhor Distillery. Glen Mhor never released any OB bottlings and made little produce altogether. I apologize for the rather leaning photo.
Glen Mhor 14yo 1978-1993 43% The Master of Malt cask#4041,4042
A youngster from some casks The Master of Malt shared with Signatory, I remember they did that with some casks where all the output went into miniatures. It smells of raw spirity notes, lemon, lime, sodium, acidic, fizzy drinks, rather unpleasant. The taste is sweet, bitter, peppery, dry white wine, grape soda, grape fruit, bitter fruitiness. As this whisky progresses on the palate it just becomes more and more hard to enjoy, more spirity and more citric as it goes along. Water changes nothing here, just becomes a tad sweeter. The finish is sweet, peaches, dried fruits and honey.
The finish is one of the few shining lights in this one: 3.5
Glen Mhor NAS 1980 43% Gordon & Macphail
Two years older vintage, but the label states nothing about how old it is, but I imagine it's not any older than 12yo. The color is golden. It smells bacon, cheddar, citric, dry white wine, oranges, peppery and spirity. The taste is peppery, vanilla, citric, acidic, lemon, grape fruit, lime, dry white wine. Not far from the #4041&.. in my opinion. But this is not very good anyhow, light and spirity. I'll add some water. Now it turns vanilla, estragon, citric, acidic, burnt notes. I does improve with water. The finish is gone with the wind from my Mac-fan, nothing at all.
Similar to any MOTR blend: 3
Glen Mhor 25yo 1970-2005 45% Campbell & Clark Ltd. cask#1164,1165,1166
Time for a real oldie then. I have no information about Campbell & Clatk Ltd. The color is brown amber, it smells of spirity, pear spirit, sour apples, rubbery, cinnamon, glue, wheat, peppery, grape fruit. The taste is cinnamon, oranges, papaya chutney, strawberries, licorice, yoghurt, curry spices, red bell peppers. The finish is medium long, on heather, honey, cinnamon and pistachio. I must add that although this whisky is both clean, soft and very sip-able, it has some old style sherried charm.
Great Glen Mhor, old sherried style: 7
Glen Mhor 28yo 1982-2010 47.2% Blackadder Raw Cask cask#1232
Unfortunately they've not managed to transfer any of the cask sediments into this 3cl sample. Low strength. From a bourbon hogshead. Blackadder bottled all casks#1231-1234 as single in the Raw Cask-series. The color is golden. It smells citric, vanilla, honey, creamy, banana peel, light and bitter. The taste is citric, acidic, sour, hops, ginger, raw onions, pickled cucumber, leather, herbal. I must admit that even at CS Glen Mhor does strike me as a bit light and boring. The finish is wheat, biscuits, drying, coal.
At this age, strength and presumably price, I'd expected a bit more: 4.5
Glen Mhor 28yo 1982-2010 56.8% Signatory Vintage cask#1328
Another bourbon cask filled in 1982, this time bottled by Signatory and at almost 10% higher strength. Lets hope that can have some more impact on the register of flavors in this one. The color is golden. It smells wheaty, peppery, black peppery, oily, onions, light, easy. seems to come from some tired wood. The taste is sweeter, honey, peppery, creamy, vanilla, by far the richest and fullest expression in this session. The finish is gingerbread, cream cheese, marzipan, peppery.
Seems Glen Mhor improves with strength: 7.5
Glen Mhor 20yo 1977-1997 59.3% Signatory Vintage cask#1552
This one comes from a series called "Silent Stills", which one would believe consisted of whisky only from closed distilleries. And back then it was, but some of those distilleries have been resurrected since then. This series, which have been discontinued are reaching extreme prices online these days. The color is golden. It smells peppery, wheat, hay, olive oil, garlic, vanilla, kinda raw and spirity, oaky. The taste is peppery and spirity, strong, licorice, restrained and spirity, I hope some water will help it open up. Water added. Now it turns just a bit more hay and porridge. The finish is spicy, licorice, camphor and vanilla.
Glen Mhor, sadly lost, never to return: 6
Glen Mhor 8yo 40% Gordon & Macphail
Flat miniature, white cask on pink backdrop printed on the label. These flat miniatures from G&M are only 4cl, not 5cl as most guys selling them online claims. Just a curiosity, but worth mentioning I think. The color is dark amber. It smells peppery, burnt, sugar, honey, gingerbread, cinnamon, drying, licorice, waxy. The taste is licorice, ginger, soy, butter, oloroso sherry, sweet red wine, honey, creamy sweetness, shallots, kiwi, I bet there's some older stock in this, as it seems much more mature than 8yo. The finish is earthy and peppery.
Like a lighter version of the "C&C" bottling, light sherried style: 5.5
Glen Mhor 8yo 57% Gordon & Macphail
Another flat square bottle from G&M, this time at 57%, or at 100 Proof, as G&M used to bottle back in the days. The color on this one is golden. It smells rich, vanilla, coffee beans, caramel, glue, honey, stewed onions, milk chocolate. The taste is peppery, syrup, honey, cinnamon, really rich, sweet, sugary, plums, thick and sweet. The finish is buttery, oregano, basil, leeks, bay leaves, banana leaves, a most herbal Glen Mhor. Adding water. Now it turns drying, wheaty, red onions, grassy.
Great young whisky, flawless, but not much complexity in this one: 5
Glen Mhor 15yo 1976-1991 60.9% James MacArthur's
Quite some vintages of Glen Mhor in this session, but none of the seems supreme, or very different from another in any sense. This seems perhaps that they had a clear steady style "house style" at Glen Mhor, which really is a fundament for any successful distillery. The color on this one is white wine. It does seem to come from a tight cask, or bigger cask, with this its strength. I'd like to speculate that this one comes from a european oak barrel of some kind, but I could be dead wrong. It smells of acorns, oaky, nutty, honey, vanilla, bourbon, hay, buttery. This seems a bit young and underdeveloped, but lets taste first, the judge. The taste is light, sweet, biscuits, white wine, drying, wheat beer, really light and easily drinkable.
A pretty standard whisky to end this variable session, but Glen Mhor will be missed!: 6
Glen Mhor when in business
Glen Mhor in 2011, behind PC World, a sad sight...
Next tasting: Millburn Distillery
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