Scotch Review: Glen Grant 15 Year Old Batch Strength — 1st Edition

It turns out, Jim Murray can be wrong, really wrong.

Glen Grant 15 Year Old Batch Strength — 1st Edition / 50% / ~$50

Tasted with a bit of bottled water

This unassuming, but 1 litre, bottle is a 15-year-old higher-strength Glen Grant OB, distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2017 at 50%. It features caramel colouring, and was aged in 1st-fill ex-bourbon casks. One of 10,680 bottles.

It may have come onto folks’ radar recently, as Jim Murray gave the Glen Grant 15 Batch Strength (1st Edition) the top Scotch title in his 2021 edition of the “Whiskey Bible”, before he melted into a full-blown #metoo scandal around his sexist review-style and non-apology statement.

The tasting notes on the bottle-back, amid drivel about the innovative history of Glen Grant, read:

This golden liquid offers aromas of citrus
fruit and toffee accompanied by a rich
palate of spiced pears, tangerines and 
vanilla, leaving a nutty finish with
delicate notes of soft fruit.

• Color: e150a
• Nose: floral, acetone, apple peels; honey, dried lemons, and room-spray-perfume
• Taste: raisins, vanilla, cider; some black pepper and oranges
• Finish: short, some creaminess, a feeling of hot spirits

This Glen Grant is bland, one-dimensional, and a bit hot for a 15 year old. It lacks structure, and it’s certainly nothing close to what I would hope for “Scotch of the Year” in 2020! (also, it’s a 2017 release?!)

Still, it’s quite affordable, and at an oversize 1000ml and overproof 50%, it’s not necessarily a bad buy!

Rating: 65/100