Our friends over at William Grant & Sons were kind enough to send us samples of their 18 and 25 year old blended whiskies, which unfortunately are not currently available outside the UK. Grant's 18 Year Old blended whisky consists of a mixture of malt as well as grain whiskies which are then finished in port casks. Grant's 25 Year Old is an extra special treat for us, as this is the first batch that has ever been produced. Made up of 25 different distinctive malt and grain whiskies, including Ladyburn and also the first ever whisky laid down at Grant's Girvan distillery in 1963, we were extremely excited to sample this new product.
Grant's 18 Year Old
Nose: This has a very distinctive Speyside nose, very similar to other Grant's expressions. A heavy brown sugar kick along with figs and fruitcake, surely a characteristic imparted by being finished in port barrels. A citrus zest combined with a touch of smoke provide some balance against the largely sweeter characteristics.
Palate: This expression lacks the sourness normally associated with the Grant's Sherry & Family Reserves. Dried fruits including apple and pears sweetened with caramel and rich malt. This is a flavourful whisky which if one peels back, reveals hints of fresh leather with flecks of peat smoke. You'll find that this dram is great to roll around on the tongue - it's surprisingly (and enjoyably) peppery.
Finish: A very dry finish is needed to rein in the sweetness of the palate, and here the 18 year old doesn't dissapoint. Quickly drying with a light but long smoke, the hint of peat returns a bit more forcefully than on the palate amidst a woody must.
Grant's 25 Year Old
Nose: What a difference two expressions from the same blender can have. This nose is lighter, yet more complex than the 18. Doughy with prunes and vanilla this is also fruity with a whisper of smoke, a bit of peat and with water it becomes quite floral. The depth to this nose is quite striking. In fact after nosing for a few minutes, I covered my dram up and left it for a period of time before returning to nose it again. Layer by layer, new components are revealed, while others remain elusive.
Palate: For a Speyside whisky, there's a surprising hit of smoke here. Thankfully, it has been expertly tempered with richer and sweeter notes of oatmeal, honey, raisin, and baking spice. There's an extremely gentle and mature peat here. A smooth, well-developed mouthfeel dominates, demonstrating the quality and age of the constituent malts and grains.
Finish: A slight sourness gives way to lingering smoke, with a long sherry finish. Final hints of walnuts provide wonderful closure to the dram.
Overall: Both Grant's 18 and 25 year old expressions prove that quality blended whisky can pack just as much of a flavour punch as their single malt brethren. Here at ScotchBlog, we're not generally fans of grain whisky. Since blenders usually prefer to use more grain whisky for younger blends as young single grain whiskies provide maturity and sweetness, it's not surprising that we've found many entry-level blended whiskies reprehensible. As blended expressions get older however, the ratio is often reversed in order to create a more balanced blend.
In our opinion, it's this higher malt to grain ratio, along with the quality of the malts going into the product, that truly sets apart the Grant's 18 and 25 from other blends. Under the watchful eyes of former master blender David Stewart, current master bender Brian Kinsman has done a wonderful job here, and we're hoping hoping that one day soon we'll have these available in Canada.
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