The Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Situated adjacent to the Burn of Rothes in the Speyside region of Scotland, The Glenrothes Distillery was founded by in 1879 by James Stuart, who had previously been employed at The Macallan Distillery. The distillery's history is marred by tragedy — in 1897, construction workers who were attempting to expand its capacity started a fire that consumed much of the distillery's equipment and infrastructure. Twenty-five years later, a fire in the distillery's original warehouse caused the loss of 200,000 gallons of maturing whisky. Despite having lost ten copper-pot stills in various accidents since its founding, the Glenrothes Distillery is now a picture of tranquility.

The Glenrothes Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made from plump, ripe Scottish barley, which is malted and fermented using water sourced from the Ardcanny and Brauchhill springs (the springs are situated adjacent to the distillery). Following fermentation, the grains are twice distilled through the Glenrothes' copper-pot stills. The stills, which were designed and fashioned to be exact replicas of the original stills installed in 1879, are incredibly tall and uniquely shaped, which contributes to the overall light and sweet flavor of the whisky. After distillation, The Glenrothes' stillmen remove the heads and tails of the distillate and preserve only the "hearts" for maturation (the hearts comprise less than 20% of the entire distillate).

The Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a blend of rare and limited vintages produced at The Glenrothes Distillery, each aged exclusively in first-fill ex-Oloroso Sherry casks custom-made in Jerez, Spain. These casks cost as much as five times their American ex-bourbon equivalents — The Glenrothes Distillery’s Malt Master, Gordon Motion, who hand-selects the casks for the Sherry Cask Reserve, believes they are worth it.

The whisky has a complex aroma of lemon cake, Christmas cookies, fresh pear and vanilla, which leads to an equally bold palate filled with notes of gingerbread, oak, flan and baking spices. The finish, which is bitter and nutty, is complete with memorable notes of orange zest.