A trip to Glenturret
A Scot on Scotch pays a visit to Glenturret and checks out a peated 10-year-old single malt.
Glenturret has a strong claim to being the oldest surviving distillery in Scotland. That in itself makes it a must-see but a recent takeover by new owners has brought interesting new developments to the site that made me even more curious to check it out.
The distillery could have been established as early as 1775 but in recent years it has been rather mistreated, in my opinion. Previous owners Edrington declared it “The Home of The Famous Grouse” and used it to celebrate their best-selling blend rather than tell the distillery’s own unique story.
Glenturret has since been taken over by Lalique, the luxury crystal company owned by Silvio Denz. In a statement move, master blender Bob Dalgarno was brought on board after 30 years overseeing the making of The Macallan.
This is a distillery I’ve always meant to visit. It stands on the outskirts of the Perthshire town of Crieff which is only about an hour from Glasgow. I finally got a golden opportunity to visit when I stayed at the Crieff Hydro Hotel Resort for a few days in September.
Perthshire is a beautiful part of Scotland. It lacks the drama of the Western Highlands and can’t quite match the huge Atlantic skies of the Hebrides but it makes up for it in sheer greenery. It must be one of the lushest areas in the country with rolling hills and endless forest trails to explore. Our visit to the Hotel was sadly beset with problems that I wont go into here but with a little determination we managed to pull some happy memories from the wreckage.
Like any self-respecting whisky fanatic, I made my escape from the family setting on Sunday afternoon and set out for Glenturret. It took me around 25 minutes to walk there from my accommodation, travelling along the Hosh circular walk. The route took me along farm trails and through dense woodland before dropping me on the main road, just before the distillery turnoff.
The distillery is rather quaint in appearance and has retained an agricultural feel. That first impression is aided by the trailer that waits to collect draff for local farms. This is a distillery in transition, however. The picturesque, white-washed, rural appearance is in stark contrast to the lavish, expensive fittings that have been installed in the refurbished visitor centre.
The tour provided an informative rundown of the distillery’s extensive history and covered the production process in as much detail as was necessary. If the exterior of the buildings were quaint and charming, the interior were of a very functional nature. Thick stone walls and bare floors housed massive malt bins, wooden washbacks and a small mash tun.
The still house is split over two rooms with wash and spirit still in different sections. The wash still, in particular, looks like it was grown rather than built. Its neck rises into the rafters of the roof and the lyne arm travels along the apex of the ceiling before passing through the wall to the shell and tube condensers that hang outside. It’s like the opposite of those trees that expand to absorb iron railings, only this time it’s the copper that has wound its way through the wooden beams.
Our tour ended with a stop in a grand tasting room, crowned by twin chandeliers. Our guide took great pride in advising us that each fitting cost a mere £70,000 each. You’ll never convince me that such grandeur belongs in a Scotch whisky distillery but there’s no doubt it looked great. We tasted a drop of the Triple Wood expression which I found light and incredibly fruity.
Here I encountered the only minor complaint I have from my visit. Our guide took some time to praise the clarity of his dram and informed the group that they should return any whisky that wasn’t entirely crystal clear. I found that to be rather irksome. I’ve no idea what Glenturret’s stance is regarding chill-filtering but people shouldn’t be told that hazy whisky is faulty.
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Glenturret Peated 10 year old Review
Through the hospitality of the lovely staff I was able to try a few more drams after my tour. The 12-year-old was very pleasant with a nice sherry influence, though for my personal taste it was a wee bit too delicate. The 15-year-old was excellent but I struggle with the hefty £110 asking price. The 10-year-old, however, seemed to strike the perfect balance between quality and value for money.
This peated malt was bottled at 50% and retails at a very reasonable £54.
Smell: Peat smoke with a salty, maritime tang. Lots of citrus notes. A bit of aniseed. Honey. Tablet. A splash of water released some tropical fruits.
Taste: Toffee malt with orange and lemon. Salted caramel. Charred oak and peppery smoke. Heather honey. Sea Salt and liquorice all-sorts.
Thoughts: In terms of value for money, this is the standout Glenturret. At 50% abv it’s more robust than the rest of the range and the peat carries a surprising punch. As I mentioned before, I’m unsure where Glenturret stand on chill-filtration but a slight haze appeared in my glass when I added water. That suggests any filtration was done with a light touch. More likely it was avoided altogether. That oiliness is a big bonus as it helps to deliver a fully flavoured whisky.
I thought some of the old Glenturret range were decent drams but this new batch is a step up in quality, without a doubt. There’s more character, more intensity and more depth and while some of their bottlings push credibility where budget is concerned, a 10-year-old at 50% for £54 looks a bit of a bargain.
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A visit to Glenturret is recommended. Under the new ownership, and creative guidance of Bob Dalgarno, it feels like the single malt has reached hitherto unexplored heights and the Triple Wood, 10 and 12-year-old expressions offer decent value for money. When I heard that Lalique were to take over, I feared we were about to see yet another brand make the overnight transition from budget-friendly to super-premium. There’s certainly been a lot of that going on.
I remain unconvinced that Scotland’s oldest working distillery is the right place to house Lalique Boutiques and £70,000 chandeliers but for now, it seems to be working for them. Glenturret is still a fascinating distillery and deserved to be better pushed as a brand a long time ago. That requires investment and the new owners are putting their money where their mouth is and that can only be a good thing.
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