Glenrothes is one of the largest Scotch whisky distilleries in the Speyside region of Scotland. It is located within the town of Rothes and has a capacity of approximately 5.5 million litres per year. The distillery was founded in 1878 by Stuart & Co and despite its size Glenrothes remains fairly unknown to the wider whisky consumer. The main reason for this could be that the current owners, Berry Brothers & Rudd in conjunction with the Edrington Group, use a majority of the whisky produced at Glenrothes in their flagship blends of
Famous Grouse and
Cutty Sark. However, they are continuing to grow the range of Glenrothes single malts and sales are increasing rapidly.
Matt was recently invited to Glenrothes distillery and took part in a tutored tasting of the Glenrothes range which was hosted by Ronnie Cox (pictured,
below), the legendary Brands Heritage Director for Berry Brothers & Rudd. To read his review of the Glenrothes distillery visit -
click here.
The tasting with Ronnie was a marathon one and very educational. It very quickly became informal, as he explained about the nuances of tasting whisky correctly and about Glenrothes. The main point covered the reasoning as to why Glenrothes single malts have years or 'vintages' named on the label, rather than the more traditional age statements (12 years old etc). This was due to Berry Brothers' wine background where vintages are commonly used and they wanted their whiskies to reflect this.
The idea was to create whiskies for different moods and the core range always has four such vintages present at any one point. The vintages create a point of difference with Glenrothes single malts from its competitors and allows them to release whisky when they feel it is in its prime, rather than having to wait for the whisky to reach one of the traditional age statements such as 15 or 18 years of age. Berry Brothers were the first whisky producers to do this and now others, such as Balblair, have followed suit. Other distilleries have also now released vintages but mostly in limited editions or single cask bottlings.
The tasting with Ronnie Cox was held in
The Inner Sanctum, a specially designed tasting room in the heart of the distillery. All of the furniture has been hand designed and uses elements of the whisky making process as inspiration. The centrepiece is the large circular tasting table (pictured,
left)that has a revolving centre upon which the various expressions of Glenrothes are placed. Matt's tasting notes are listed below and the chance to taste them side-by-side with Ronnie, was an excellent experience.
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Glenrothes new make spiritThis is clear with a slight yellow hue and the nose is fresh and zesty (imagine lemons). On the palate, it remains fresh and zingy but with plenty of fresh green fruits (think of pears and apples), some vanilla and a hint of hot spicy chilli. The finish is short and sharp with cereal grains becoming evident. Very interesting to try, as it shows the starting point of all of the whiskies tasted below and how the spirit evolves.
Glenrothes 1994The colour is golden yellow and the nose is very fresh, zesty (think of lemon) and elegant. On the palate, this whisky is soft and richer than the nose suggests with plenty of fresh vanilla, toffee, honey and lemon zest present. It is very, very easy drinking and pleasant with hints of cinnamon spice and further vanilla (imagine vanilla ice cream) coming through. The finish is again longer than expected and full of oak, honey and vanilla with a distinct lemon zest note adding an interesting tang right at the end. Would be great as an aperitif.
Glenrothes 1991The colour is a dark golden amber and the nose is rich with aromas of dried fruits (think of raisins especially), caramel, honey, white chocolate and malty cereals. The initial palate is oaky and feels thick and syrupy in the mouth. The sweetness is reminiscent of butterscotch and an interesting fruity note comes through (imagine peaches), as does a distinct hint of spiced orange. The finish is warm with baking spices (nutmeg and cinnamon especially) and the orange and raisin notes.
Glenrothes 1985This whisky is golden amber in colour and the nose is complex and full of expressive aromas - dried fruits (imagine raisins and sultanas), wood spices (think of cinnamon and nutmeg), honey, vanilla marzipan and toasted nuts (especially almonds). The overall feeling is reminiscent of rich Xmas cake. The palate is balanced and has great depth. A distinct molasses/treacle note is then joined by those from the nose - the dried fruits, spices, honey, vanilla, nuts. It becomes spicier with time, with cinnamon particularly prominent. The balance between sweet and spice is fantastic. The finish is long and warming with a hint of spiced oranges added in to the mix. An absolute cracker of a whisky and my favourite of the day!
Glenrothes 1978This is a fascinating whisky that is golden brown in colour. The nose has a delicious mix of aromas - dried tropical fruits (think of mango and peach), raisins, toffee, cinnamon sticks, ginger and something floral (imagine jasmine). This feels thinner than expected on the palate but combines the aforementioned notes with some further spices (think of nutmeg and cloves), sandalwood, malty cereal grains and spiced orange peel. The finish is very soft and rounded and last for ages, with the wood spices adding pleasant dryness right at the end.
Glenrothes 1975This whisky is no longer available but Ronnie recommended that we tried it anyway. He is a man of good taste! The colour is dark amber and the nose is punchy, with woody spices (think of cedarwood, cinnamon and mahogany), caramel, plenty of dried fruits (imagine raisins, sultanas and candied orange peel) and vanilla all prominent. On the palate, these are all present as is a refreshing fruity peach-like note. Orange oil and further cedarwood come through to create a complex balance. The finish is long and warming. It starts fruity before becoming drier.
Glenrothes Alba ReserveThe name comes from the Latin name for American oak, which is
Quercus Alba. It is the only Glenrothes single malt that is matured 100% in American oak casks and is made up of different ages of whisky and therefore carries no vintage.
Alba Reserve is currently only available in the USA and is one of the few certified Kosher whiskies available on the market. It has a light golden colour and a fresh, delicate nose. There are elegant notes of honey, vanilla, coconut, cereals and citrus zest present. These are repeated on the palate, which remains fresh and balanced. The finish is crisp, with the vanilla and coconut prominent and just a hint of cinnamon spice. This would be great as an aperitif whisky.
Glenrothes Robur ReserveThe name for this one come from the Latin for European oak -
Quercus Robur. This whisky contains the highest percentage of European oak (ex-sherry) cask matured spirit of any Glenrothes single malt and is exclusive to the Duty Free/travel retail market. The colour is a reddish amber and the nose is packed with aromas of sultana, toffee and baking spices (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg). The palate is milder than the nose suggested but has a good level of richness with the notes from the nose repeated, but more muted. Add in some vanilla oakiness and dried orange peel. The finish is lovely with the toffee particularly prominent.
Glenrothes John RamsayThis is an extra special whisky that is limited edition and currently selling for close to £1000 a bottle! It is released to celebrate the work of Glenrothes' legendary Malt Master John Ramsey, who retired after 18 years of service. The whisky is created from different ages of Glenrothes vintages ranging from 1973 to 1987, each one selected by Ramsey. The whisky is amber in colour and very subtle on the nose, although more notes are evident with time - vanilla, dried fruits (especially sultana), malty cereals, toffee and tropical mango and peach. The palate is rich, creamy and very malty, with additional warm spices coming through (think of cinnamon and nutmeg). The finish is well balanced with toffee, spices and cereals. A fantastic dram and it was a privilege to try it.
> Please note that all the whiskies are bottled at 43% ABV, with the exception of the
Alba Reserve at 40% ABV and the
John Ramsey at 46.7% ABV.
Fancy making some single malt whisky next year? Now you can, as Glenrothes are offering the chance to spend a week at the Speyside distillery in Scotland and to learn about all aspects of whisky production. Four lucky winners of the Glenrothes Whisky Makers competition will be selected to take part in the week long 'once in a lifetime' experience next Spring - all you have to do to enter is visit www.theglenrothes.com/whiskymaker and write why you deserve to be selected. The competition was launched back in October and the closing date is January 31 2011.
The prize for the Glenrothes Whisky Makers competition offers a fantastic opportunity for the four lucky winners. Each winner will stay for the week at Rothes House, a former parish residence belonging to the church, where they will be hosted by the legendary Ronnie Cox, the Global Brand Director of Glenrothes, and Gordon Motion, the Glenrothes Malt Master. The whisky making experience will cover everything from testing the local water quality, through to the milling, mashing, fermentation and distillation processes, before finally trying their arm at cask making in the on site cooperage and studying maturing casks and selecting some for bottling. In addition, other activities will be undertaken such as fishing, dining and walking in the beautiful local area. 
Glenrothes is one of the largest Scotch whisky distilleries in the Speyside region of Scotland. It is located within the town of Rothes and has a capacity of approximately 5.5 million litres per year. The distillery was founded in 1878 by Stuart & Co and despite its size Glenrothes remains fairly unknown to the wider whisky consumer. The main reason for this could be that the current owners, Berry Brothers & Rudd in conjunction with the Edrington Group, use a majority of the whisky produced at Glenrothes in their flagship blends of Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. However, they are continuing to grow the range of Glenrothes single malts and sales are increasing rapidly.
The tasting with Ronnie was a marathon one and very educational. It very quickly became informal, as he explained about the nuances of tasting whisky correctly and about Glenrothes. The main point covered the reasoning as to why Glenrothes single malts have years or 'vintages' named on the label, rather than the more traditional age statements (12 years old etc). This was due to Berry Brothers' wine background where vintages are commonly used and they wanted their whiskies to reflect this.
The tasting with Ronnie Cox was held in The Inner Sanctum, a specially designed tasting room in the heart of the distillery. All of the furniture has been hand designed and uses elements of the whisky making process as inspiration. The centrepiece is the large circular tasting table (pictured, left)that has a revolving centre upon which the various expressions of Glenrothes are placed. Matt's tasting notes are listed below and the chance to taste them side-by-side with Ronnie, was an excellent experience.
Glenrothes 1994
Glenrothes 1985
Glenrothes 1975
Glenrothes is located in the town of Rothes in the centre of the Speyside region of Scotland. The distillery was founded in 1878 by Stuart & Co. and since the early 1990s has been owned by Berry Brothers & Rudd, the famous London wine and spirits merchants. They signed up to distribute Glenrothes as a single malt whisky, in return for the use of the whisky in their popular Cutty Sark blended whisky range. They introduced the current vintage system for Glenrothes single malt whisky and in 1999 were joined by the Edrington Group in partnership. The range of Glenrothes single malts continues to grow under this ownership and the distillery still provides the signature whisky for the Cutty Sark range.
We begin at Rothes House, which sits on a hill over looking the town of Rothes. The house was built in the 19th century and was the residence of the priest of Rothes. It was so positioned, to allow the priest to look over his parishioners. The house remained used by the church until the 1980s, when it fell in to disrepair. Berry Brothers & Rudd purchased it from the church in the 1990s, fully renovating it and Rothes House is now used to accommodate guests of the company. The distillery is accessed from the house via a leafy woodland path, which was packed with autumn colour and very pleasant despite the rain!
Upon arriving at the distillery, we head out of the rain and in to the milling area. First up was a room where the malted barley is delivered and prepared for milling. This room is full of silos (pictured, left)and here the grain is stored until it is moved to the milling room next door. The milling room is home to a Porteus Mill, which has been at Glenrothes since 1964. This machine can mill a staggering 5.1 tonnes of malted barley at a time. Eric explained to us about the milling process and the balance of the final grist that they need for the whisky making process. The grist contains constituent parts – husks, centres and flour. Each part contains soluble sugars that are used in the following mashing process. An incorrect balance of each will create problems in the next mashing stage.
Next, is the impressive area where the fermentation part of the process takes place. Here, the yeast is added to the sugary solution (called 'wort') and these sugars are turned in to alcohol. Glenrothes has 18 fermentation tanks, which are called 'washbacks'. These are split between two rooms - eight stainless steel washbacks are in one room (pictured, left) and 10 wooden ones are next door. The wooden ones are made from Oregon pine and this arrangement makes Glenrothes one of the few distilleries in Scotland to have both stainless steel and wooden washbacks. Each washback can hold 25,000 litres and the yeast is left to do its work for 55 hours. This is slightly longer than most other distilleries in Scotland and the result is called 'wash' and is an ale-like liquid that has an alcohol level of 8% ABV. Each washback contains fermenting wash at different stages of the fermentation cycle, so as to maintain a constant supply.
The stillhouse at Glenrothes is known as the 'Cathedral of Speyside' due to the size of its stills. It is the tallest stillhouse in the Speyside region and houses 10 stills that work in pairs - five wash stills and five spirit stills - to produce Glenrothes' clean and fresh new make spirit. The stills are made of copper, as it can withstand the high temperatures needed to distill the spirit. The use of copper is vital as it also removes numerous impurities from the final spirit. Unusually, the lyne arms (the horizontal part at the top of the still) are pointing in towards the centre of the still house, where they are each linked to a condenser. This condenser is where the alcohol vapours are returned to a liquid form and collected. Traditionally, the lyne arms at most distilleries are pointing towards or going through the outer walls.
After a look in one of the warehouses, we move to the small cooperage that operates on the site. This is another feature that makes Glenrothes almost unique, as very few distilleries have their own cooperage attached nowadays. Most buy their casks from independent coopers. We observed two of the coopers at work, as they repaired some damaged casks and Eric told us a couple of interesting facts - the casks have curved edges so that they can be rolled and moved around more easily, plus a cask when filled with whisky weighs in excess of half a tonne!
St. Magdalene is a Lowland distillery has been closed since 1983. Despite closing almost 26 years ago, the distillery buildings are still standing and have been sympathetically renovated into apartments. The distillery originally opened in 1795 in the town of Linlithgow, which lies between Edinburgh and Stirling and occasionally whisky distilled at St. Magdalene is also released under the name of 'Linlithgow'. It was one of Scotland's oldest distilleries until its closure. St. Magdalene was regarded as having one of the most perfect locations in Scotland for both whisky production and transportation links, being situated very close to some of the main barley growing areas, the main Edinburgh to Stirling road and the Union canal.
