Fairly widely available

Recommended

For the details…

Glenglassaugh, located along a relatively distillery-sparse section of Scotland’s east coast near the town of Portsoy. Never a major distilling area, Glenglassaugh is one of a handful still in operation there. It was built in 1874 by a local businessman, James Moir. 

That Glenglassaugh is still in operation is a minor miracle. It closed after only 33 years in operation, and didn’t reopen until 1960, under the ownership of Highland Distillers (now Edrington). It closed once again in 1986, a victim of the whisky loch, and it was generally assumed that it would share the fate of most other victims of that cull–permanent closure and eventual demolition. However, a private consortium acquired the facility in the early aughts, and production finally resumed in 2008. The new ownership issued the no-age statement Glenglassaugh Revival in 2012 as new stocks reached maturity.

The distillery was purchased by the Billy Walker-led BenRiach Distillery Co in 2013, at which point numerous new bottlings were issued including Evolution, and a peated style called Torfa. It passed into the hands of Brown Forman three years later with the purchase of BenRiach Distillery Co. The new owners have largely maintained the existing range and branding.

The bottling of Revival reviewed here was one of the earlier efforts, probably from the Billy Walker era, however, as far as I’m aware it continues to have a similar profile. It’s a tasty dram with a pleasantly roasty, nutty, cafe-mocha character, balanced by hints of dried fruit. Personally, I find the style intriguing and quite more-ish. If you have a high sensitivity to sulphur–as some benighted folk do–I’d steer clear.

Glenglassaugh Revival 46% abv

Nose: Caramel mocha. Brazil nuts—rich, meaty nut tones. Cantaloupe. Mango. Hazelnut coffee. Toffee. Some old leather notes. A bit of meatiness and some sulphur.

Body: Medium, round, tidy.

Palate: Toasted, and lots and lots of coffee. Very rich. Cocoa powder. Coffee flavored brownies. Struck match and sulphur. Stewed prunes. Some apricot notes. Traces of ripe banana. Burned, bruised sugar. Savory. Fruit cobbler, doughy.

Finish: Drying, dried fruits, coffee beans. Rather short.

Score: 86/100

Who should buy it?: People who like cafe mocha. People who can live with traces of sulphur. People who are curious to try whiskies with flavors that are a little unusual in whisky.

Overall thoughts: A very tasty dram that you can usually find at a reasonable price, especially in light of the presentation.

Bottling Information:

Expression: Glenglassaugh Revival 46% abv

Bottler: Proprietor

Range: n/a

Bottle Code: n/a

Presentation: Unchillfiltered and natural color

Details: n/a

Price: $40-60

Availability: Should be easy to find at most specialty retailers.

Distillery Information:

Region: Highlands

Location: Portsoy, Aberdeenshire

Geography: Coastal

Date Founded: 1874

Owner: Brown Forman

Website: https://www.glenglassaugh.com/en-us/

Capacity: 1,000,000

Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Traditional; WASHBACKS: 4 wood, 2 steel; STILLS: 2; HEAT SOURCE: Indirect steam; CONDENSER: Shell and Tube

Total expressions sampled: 2

Overall distillery score: n/a

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