Best of Independent Bottlers: Part 1 – Cadenhead’s Stunning Glenlossie

A highlight of every whisky expo is its lineup of master classes,  and naturally, the London Whisky Show draws some of the best of those. I was privileged to take part in a masterclass titled “I Did it My Way” led by Dave Broom featuring whiskys picked by Sukhinder Singh of The Whisky Exchange. The masterclass highlighted six independent bottlers with their stories, and was presented with the humor you’d naturally associate with Dave. There were samples from Cadenhead, Gordon and MacPhail, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Signatory, Samaroli and Douglas Laing.

Photo Credit: blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/

The masterclass started with the oldest independent bottler, Cadenhead’s. The bottle chosen for the tasting was a 21 year old Glenlossie (still dubbed Glenlossie-Glenlivet) that was distilled in April 1957 and Bottled in May of 1978 at 45.7% ABV.

This is a classic old style sherry matured whisky, very aptly described by Dave as ‘Like walking into an old bookshop with someone smoking in the corner of the room’. That description is pretty good, and this was my favorite whisky in the lineup. By the way, in 1978, this bottle cost £10.

Photo Credit: blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/

Cadenhead’s Glenlossie-Glenlivet 21 Year old, Distilled April 1957, Bottled May 1978 (45.7% ABV, NCF, NC)

Appearance: Bronze with slow and sticky legs.

Nose: Dusty library spices, old leather, dust, old fruit, sandalwood, an old bookshop. With time it opens into light peat or firewood. Water brings out sultanas.

Palate: Thick and oily, dry and dusty with quite a bit of oak. Water teases out more fruit.

Linger: WOW – sandalwood, spices, sherry sweetness and fruit all mixing. Beautiful linger!

Conclusion

A classic “old sherry” expression. Shame they don’t make them like this anymore…