Review #8: Glen Garioch 1990/2012, Archives, 54.0%, ex-hogshead (#252), 267 bottles

so how is this pronounced?

The general consensus is GEERY, I think. But in this Tim Morrison interview, he says it like it's spelled, and since he owned the place, you'd think he'd know. Maybe it's an Oldmeldrum thing.

Anyway, my impression of GG is that it's hard to say why it's good when it's good, but that that's usually besides the point anyway. Still, it holds out hope ...

The nose is interesting: it's orchard fruit, but in a curiously dry way, with lots of wet stones, malty/beeriness, hay, and even some pencil shavings and I'd swear even a fair amount of smoke. Grassiness takes over, but then the fruit comes back -- underripe peaches and apples. And faintly something else more tropical -- like cheremoya.

I get a lot of dark peatsmoke on the palate. I thought they stopped using peated malt before 1990, but I guess I'm wrong. (This page says 1994 they stopped.) It has a nice oily texture, maybe a little too minty/menthol, but I have to wait for the peat to clear before tasting anything else.

Finish is peaty, peppery, grassy, and then it becomes salty at the end. There's a little vanilla and apple sweetness, and some herbs, but to me it's very salty.

good whisky, but it never quite comes together for me.

score: 85