GLENROTHES SINGLE SPEYSIDE MALT
There is single malt, and there is Glenrothes which to my palate has a superior, smooth, balanced taste and refined texture than many others I had the privilege of tasting. The distillery lies beside the Burn of Rothes in the heart of Speyside, the highland region of Scotland famous for its high quality and refined style of its single malt whiskies.
For generations, the Glenrothes single malt has enjoyed an excellent reputation for its soft rounded texture, and has long been recognized by expert distillers and blenders as a Speyside benchmark of quality.
Berry Bros. and Rudd, a large distributing company that also markets Cutty Sark, sets aside each year, a small quantity of Glenrothes to mature. There is no time limit. Only the master blender decides the apex of maturity.
In the cool, damp conditions that only the finest distilleries can offer, the maturing whisky lots are tasted regularly to determine their evolution. When the head distiller decides that the Glenrothes is ready it is bottled without the addition of caramel, hence the pale colour. This whisky stands our with its softness, outstanding malt aromas, subtle peat flavour, and balance of all phenolic components
Glenrothes is relatively expensive, but justifiably so, since the care lavished on it, the length of maturation process is long time consuming and ultimately costly.
Enjoy it in an appropriately large tumbler, neat whit a little water added to unlock its unmistakable aroma.
This is a whisky for the connoisseur who appreciates quality.
Article contributed by Hrayr Berberoglu, a Professor Emeritus of Hospitality and Tourism Management specializing in Food and Beverage. Books by H. Berberoglu
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