A Scot on Scotch

Neill Murphy of A Scot on Scotch samples a peated Glenturret single malt Scotch whisky from independent bottlers, Cadenhead’s.

Back in January, I put together a lineup of whiskies for an alternative Burns Night. There was no haggis, no pomp and ceremony, just a group of people coming together to celebrate the life of Scotland’s favourite poet by sharing some great drams and listening to some great music. The only specification was that all the whiskies had to have a connection to the man himself.

Robert Burns and Glenturret Whisky

Douglas Laing’s Timorous Beastie was a no-brainer. Then we had a Lochlea, since Burns once lived and worked on the farm that now homes the distillery. Annandale named their whisky Man o’ Words after Burns, so that was an obvious choice, too. Completing the line-up of five wasn’t quite so easy, however. We chose Aberfeldy, since the bard visited the area and was inspired to write “The Birks of Aberfeldy”. We finished off the lineup with a peated Glenturret.

The connection between the distillery and Burns might not seem immediately obvious, but Glenturret is the oldest (operational) distillery in Scotland. It was founded in 1763, just four years after Burns was born. Given that he was a fairly well-travelled man, with a confessed love for the “Scotch drink”, we decided it wasn’t too much of a stretch to conclude that Burns may well have sipped on the spirit of Glenturret in his day.

He may even have visited the distillery itself. I couldn’t find anything conclusive, but it’s known that Burns visited the town of Crieff twice, in 1787. In August and again in October. He even wrote the poem, “On Scaring Some Water Fowl in Loch Turit”, during that time. Loch Turit, or Loch Turret as it’s now known, lies in Glen Turret, from which the distillery takes its name. It’s not unreasonable to assume that Burns might have visited the distillery during the trip.

Cadenhead’s Glenturret Review

This particular bottling of the Glenturret single malt comes from Cadenhead’s Cask Strength range. The whisky is 14 years old and peated. It was distilled in 2010 and bottled in August 2025. It’s bottled at 52.8% abv.

Tasting notes: On the nose, dry grass, hay bales. Barley! Citrus fruits. Orange marmalade on toast. Toasted oak and charcoal. Lemon air fresheners. Subtle smoke with an earthiness to it. Almost meaty. On the palate, it’s malty and honeyed. Reminds me of oatcakes and Hobnob biscuits. Some woody spice that dries the palate. The smoke is suppressed for the most part, only really emerging in the second half. Some light, peppery heat.

Thoughts: Peated Glenturret is something of a favourite of mine. It feels so different to their unpeated spirit. I suspect it’s not just the addition of peat smoke that’s making the change. It feels like there’s some adjusting of cut points or something as well. The spirit is so much heavier and oilier. That said, this bottling doesn’t feel particularly “heavily” peated – certainly it isn’t comparable to an Islay, for example – but it might still feel too much for those sensitive to smoke. If you enjoy the unique traits of mainland peat, this could be one to look out for.

Price: I believe the original retail price was around £70. I picked it up at auction for £45. No arguments at that price. Interesting, unusual and very different from the official bottlings being released right now.