🥃 Whisky van Zuylen

Quite OK on the nose, I don't like the cardboard finish

Why stop halfway? Non-chill filtered but obviously colored, Glen Garioch 12 is giving mixed messages. A bit prickly at first, the nose interweaves apricots, banana and ripe mango with heather, ginger and a dusty cereal note. On the palate, red apples, tangerines and baking spices give way to grapes, black tea and salted caramel, and I could swear that there is a tiny hint of peat smoke in the back. Orange zest, honey and some vegetal notes characterize the earthy and cask-dominated finish. A decent core range release, the elevated ABV works in its favor. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

I was never a huge fan of GG-12. I have an old rating of 84 on this from 2016. This sample from Slàinte Mhath was from a bottle registered 2010, so I'm not sure if it predates the one I had. What I know is that it's nothing like I remember it.

lemon, orange, vanilla, pepper, varnish, honey, herbs, sweet spices, reasonably complex and fruity, not too bad

Pretty solid, spicy, warming dram. Taste comes through better than the smell.

* Tasted it in June 2013 at a masterclass by Gordon Dundas ( Brand Ambassadeur of Bowmore, Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch) found some old notes.

tasted with Whiskyclub Spakenburg

Grapes, raisins, fruity, strong. The strength does not come through so much when tasting, he is surprisingly soft, very beautiful. After a few minutes, it gets a little spicier, the fruity note is gone, the stimulation subsides somewhat. He is not bad, but ...

The 48% ABV and the sherry / bourbon ratio is nice. Pleasant.

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2024/12/06/oswas-2024-rd-part-1-2/ I last tried this in 2014 – ten years ago! – and have held a fondness for it ever since [WLP]. N: Certainly sweet-ish towards a variety of jams and tarts helped by a certain leathered sherried side coupled with a soft industrial side that talks of plastics, Plasticine, beeswax, linseed oil and a complex blend of garage paraphernalia which is secondary to the sherry which becomes clearer and clearer as the whisky opens. Notes of bubblegum and heather bring a cognac vibe and a suggestion of a little wine cask influence, perhaps? T: This bold juicy, heathery-smoky, savoury, oozing delivery is up my street right. Yes, there’s sherry influence, but that heather, the dryness – Highland Park meets Talisker[?] – from a typically mixed cask makeup [to my mind] is working a treat for the Garioch distillate. F: The energy of this one propels it further forward. Barley, heather, bung, a little wax at the tail,… with a fresh yet equal refill [cask] nature and the vegetal-cellulose slightly flor-like complex grape-binding finish. It just shows you what modern sherry cask seasoning can achieve, though the results are typically within a controlled parameter. C: Reminds me why the 12yo age statement became such a benchmark for so many single malts, and yet I can only imagine significant improvements around the +/-17-year sweet spot. These 12’s could well be the cellared masterpieces of the future.

What a pleasant surprise. This is, after all, the Glen Garioch entry level malt, available for less than 40 EUR.

The sherry influence tends to vary from batch to batch. My first bottle was noticeably more bourbon-based, while the 1-liter-travel-retail bottling I have going right now is pretty "dark" in character.

Ouhja, he still can. The more% than other standards do him very well, make him look grown up. The mixture of fruit, pungency and dryness are exactly what I like, I also discover unlike some nothing juvenile / metallic here. A certain sweetness at the back rounds off nicely, great thing, PLV unbelievable.

Old-style whisky. Straightforward, apples, beautiful oak notes and minimal sherry. The whole very balanced, round and with a lot of "wums". OK then.

A good malt with a fairly present but nice oak note. Plus a nice fruity sweetness. Good all-day standard with a pleasingly high alcohol content and great price-performance ratio.

Smell like green tea, with some alcohol of course. Nice. Interesting in mouth: toasted ham in a a sandwich. The finish is not unforgettable

Nose: incredibly strong and full. Much malt, wet hay and honey. Red overripe apples, slightly sparkling alcohol (so a Gärnote), pepper, a little curry (very spicy whisky), vanilla, lemon tea towels and a touch of sherry sweetness. He has a lot to offer but is a little too strong and spicy. Water makes it milder but robs a lot of flavors variety. Unfortunately, the "balance" is not quite right here. Taste: intense strong onset, malt, lemon and orange peel, grass and heather herbs, sweet and peppery at the same time, on the finish again very malty with neat honey sweetness and a slightly bitter oak in the background. Medium-length finish. Also really nice for his age but can not quite keep up with his nose. With water it loses a lot of body tension and aroma. The 48% have certainly not been chosen for no reason. Great beginner in the GG Range with strong aroma and tasty taste. For some beginners but with 48% certainly first time a challenge.

Confidently solid whisky with notes of tropical fruits and much less sherry notes. T:21 N:21 F:22 B:21

A unique Highland character resulting from the distillate in 2 parts to ripen, the first period in American bourbon casks followed by a period in Spanish sherry casks. Both barrels give some unique characteristics with the whisky. Bourbon whisky makes the softer and the sherry gives him more depth.

Tasting Notes by Glen Garioch; Nose - The colour of sharp honey, on the nose heathery floral notes are balanced with the richness of poached pears and the sweetness of malted barley.Palete - Crème brûlée and sweet ripe banana at first, then comes a light oakiness with pear fruitiness, leading to a long smooth, creamy and fragrant finish.Cask: Bourbon and Sherry Glen Garioch and cheese.. What is Parmigiano - ReggianoAlso known in as Parmesan, is a hard, granular cheese, named after the producing areas near Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Bologna. It is made from raw cow's milk.Cheese pairing The first thing you notice about a long aged Parmigiano is the texture – small tyrosine crystals, giving you the crunch in the mouth. The whisky is the complete opposite, providing a unique contrast. The 12 year old initially binds the dryness of the cheese, whilst the cheese provides a platform for the sweet fruitiness of the malt and enhances the clean barley notes. The cheese continues to glitter under the surface of the malt, offering jabs of refreshing saltiness to the finish.If you can't get Parmigiano - ReggianoTry another hard Italian cheese.

A very loyal and long companion. I think it's good that the standard OAs from Glen Garioch are filled with this high volume of alcohol.

Not a bad whisky with bright sherry tones, tasty and atypical. The 48% ABV definitely does it good.

S 8 This is what I call a scotch whisky. Malty, peppery, fruity, at the same time having all the good characters from an ex-bourbon cask. Plenty’s going on here. The additional ABV also distinguished itself from other market players that are doing the absolute minimum. 81-85 - Another dram welcomed

The nose is pleasant, the palate and everything that follows is unpleasant.

Totally not my kind of whisky, price is fair but whisky doesn't fit my palate, although nose is really nice

that is some nice standard bottling. fine influence of oak and sherry, not too much but still visible. malty, nutty, some grapes and fresh fruits. the finish is nice, sweet, long enough lasting for a 12 yo. Fine dram!

The whisky is ok but not anymore. Unfortunately, fruits, tannins or spice can only be guessed. For a 12-year-old from the ex-bourbon with sherry cask maturing and 48% you get quite a few flavors - 18.03.2017

This is a great starter malt for the beginning of a tasting. If you're looking for a fresh starter or a light dram.

On the advice of a local liquor bought, unfortunately not quite my thing. Maybe she will be able to charm me in a while.

Great nose, strong and pleasant mouthfeel, for me a somewhat one-sided bitter finish. 83 points, with a balanced finish it would have become 85 points.

Malty and peaty aroma, wet hay, floral honey, pear, grape fruit, engine oil, cardamom, caramel and tea leaves. Vanilla sweet taste, pepper, malt, floral honey and orange marmelade. Long, spicy and peaty end.

Very nice. Alcohol well integrated, a bit much vanilla but also honey and nice herbal and fruity notes

Conclusion: what a great standard, a lot of old school - only the finish is a little disappointing.

Could be better, could be worse for a 12 year old single malt. A very fruity malt with a touch of smoke on top. Concerning price/performance ratio: 8/10

Glen Garioch - first impression 22.06.2025 Glen Garioch 12-year-old https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/18385 86 Glen Garioch 15-year-old https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/72508 87+ Glen Garioch Virgin Oak https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/43557 84- Glen Garioch 1997 https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/37057 87- Glen Garioch 1994 https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/22200 86-

sehr guter Herbstwhisky pretty good choice to drink in autumn

I tried it with water (3 drops for a little pan). The smell did not help, but the flavor did, she chewed. So I would enjoy the undiluted scent, and then just add a few drops of water before drinking.

One of the better entry malts at a solid alcoholic strength. Too bad GG got rid of the slight smoke over the years.

Color: ocher, medium dark. From a sample bottled by Vita Dulcis. An excellent whisky with no particular character, with the exception of 48% is easily confused with its Glen-cousins (speaking of "entry level"). Mental Image: Wheat ears dipped in honey and caramel.

blind tasted on 04-14-2020. (84/86/86)

Unfortunately it's not mine at all, it has a note that I always get with original Glen Gariochs that I just don't like at all

a great base whisky

Very tasty, I like it. Intense, has character. Unfortunately, a little alcohol is everywhere. The sample is now empty, but one day a whole bottle of it comes to me for closer examination in the house. Maybe he can handle a bit of water.

a bit bitter taste, sherried. Nice for starters.

Easy drinking classic bourbon malty notes, earthy, dark fruit notes. Chocolate, vanilla, caramel, honey, barley sugar, slight spicy, floral honey and spicy herbal notes finish. Perfect for a summer evening. Quite rustic like old school whisky, not appearing engineered.

Glen Garioch 12 year old, SMSW, 48%. I had my first ‘Geery’ in Oldmeldrum thanks to a good friend who lives there. In fact I had a few, as he had a collection, but I didn’t take notes. Bought this 30ml sample from Milroy’s of Soho and consumed it at home in June 2024. Cheers to good times and good memories. Orange gold. Aroma is pleasantly fruity and clean – pineapple is the closest comparison I can come to, although it’s more of a fruit salad than that. There are vague touches of butter and oak but this is a fruity, ethereal, pleasant aroma. I wouldn’t call it complex though. Body is lightly oily. Taste is creamy oak and soft fruits up front – an impressive start. Becomes a little salty mid-palate and is then a bit hard/rougher on the finish, bringing some hot spirit, spice and a crispness. Medium length finish gives spiritous heat rather than ongoing flavour. There are aspects of this that are excellent but the finish is a little disappointing for me. Up until that point we were looking at a seriously high score. Too rough on the finish, which really brings down this otherwise faultless dram. 3.5/84

A very strong fruity-sweet 12-year-old with an unusual 48%, but dangerous to remain unremarkable. Can be balanced very well with water to your personal taste. Very good value for money.

Nicely bound alcohol, round aromas

good whisky with a decent portion of refill sherry barrels that fit 48% too, in taste lacks some pace. 83 p.

In the standard, modern and unsurprising kind.

Nose: Sweet, vanilla, green apple, malt, peach, oak, light grapes ••• Taste: Sweet, spicy oak, cherry, marzipan, apple, malt ••• Finish: Medium long, sweet malt with some cherry and oak remains. ••• Conclusion: On the nose there is a great mix of vanilla and sweet fruits. In the taste, the oak comes to the fore with a lot of spiciness. After a while the oak recedes and sweet notes of cherry and apple take over. A solid whisky. The 48% fits very well. The only negative point is the almost spicy oak in the mouth, but it doesn't last long.

Beautiful blend of sherry and bourbon, multi-faceted and excellent PLV.

Nose: Butterscotch sweetness and old wood Palate: Slightly sour Bitter oak Finish: Long and oaky Overall: The nose is great, but is let down by the one dimensional palate and finish.

Very sweet, almost like a bourbon. Not my kind of Scotch.

Caramel, pear, marzipan, the liqueur inside cherry cordials, and cocoa powder. This is a fantastic bang-for-the-buck. Maybe the best bang-for-the-buck for unpeated malts? Best keep this one a secret...

My wife bought this for me while travelling to the Canaries. 33 EUR for a liter. It is hard to find more value at this price.

Kern, against the backdrop of rain

A great representation of an older style of single malts, with its very subtle peat and bold, slightly challenging, complexity. Without water, the malt quietly lingers on the palate for a long time. A bit of water sweetens the nose and palate, and makes the notes more distinguishable.

Nice sweet nose, strong start! Relatively long finish, which remains pleasant, slightly woody and a little dry. Great whisky, for the price (2015 about 35 euros).

A great standard. Super PGV.

better than the GG Founders reserve, but that doesn´t mean a lot, nice nose, okish in the mouth, but also not really convincing considering the 12 yearsm you can have much better in this price class

Conclusions. Overall soft and delicate, but without much charm. Unfortunately, I didn't get the best 12-year-old Glen Geary series. Taste definitely makes the difference here. Rating 80

Nothing remarkable unfortunately

I really liked this malt. Very balanced, round and tasty. I was very impressed

it definitely needs time to breathe, so let it sit for now, the longer the better... then a relatively classic profile reveals itself with a nice combination of typical virtues of bourbon and sherry casks: preserved fruit, stew, dried apricots and underneath a nice vanilla note. Slightly dusty behind. The alcohol content is perfectly chosen and carries the aromas. Length: 5/10 A small, overlooked gem when compared to many modern and artificially sherry-charged standards. However, it also needs some time to develop its potential. Rating: B+

tolerates a sip of water, sweet, ripe pear, fresh cask, beautiful oak, tingling, honey, herbal tea, some heather, malt, perhaps a sherry keg, creamy caramel comes through, very nice texture in the mouth, really lively, mineral water, gradually Fruit gums, dates, ice wine, and then a hint of smoke ... a really outstanding "standard"

Nose French nougat, milk chocolate, butter biscuits, forest honey, subtle umami (glutamate) plums, plums seasoned with a few herbs from Provence, very subtle smoke. The taste reflects the nose very well, nice and strong and full. Unfortunately, it weakens a bit on the finish. It is rather short to medium-long at most with honey, nougat and dark chocolate. Simply a very fine Everyday Dram. Value for money just great!

The NAS Highland Tradition of the 90s was my 3rd or 4th Bottle I had in my collection those Days. Since those Days Glen Garioch is always on my Sympathy List, and I like many of the New Bottlings and love the 70s peaty Bottlings. This 12yo Standard release comes with 48% and delivers a great, balanced Mix of Barleysugar, Maltiness, Oak and some fruity moments inbetween (almost in the Nose). A Standard that shows with its 35€ that not everything in the Whisky World went Nuts.

Good mix of ex-sherry and ex-bourbon cask which is not always achieved. Nice 48% and good integrated abv. It´s a shame that shy off-note in the mid palate, however it is still a very good 12yo malt. Recommended.

Nose: Very fruity & creamy. Lovely. Taste: Not as smooth the smell suggest. A little young, but nice flavors. More spice and bitters to it then the smell suggests. Finish: A bit bitter and spirity. Medium dry. Not a very nice linger. Packaging is nice and classy. Price / Q ratio is excellent. Perfect day to day dram.

As someone who has not had access to lots of "old style" whisky, a bottle like this with a reputation for representing that older style, whatever that is exactly, is very interesting to experience. I have had a couple of bottles of this over the past years I feel I can now review the liquid with some precision. It does indeed convey a classic sherry profile, but not soaked in red fruits and sugar. You do get some notes, especially in the taste that are reminiscent of 15 or even 18 years in a good cask. A great malty sherried speysider, at good strength, not chill filtered, but likely coloured, so not full marks. Very good value for money in the big 100cl bottles I have had the fortune of obtaining at less than 45€ - and at that price its a no brainer.

The intense influence of sulfur and chemicals. It reminds me of grilled pineapple

Wow, really good malt, very classic. It has a certain OBE and no that’s not Old Bottle Effect here, it’s “Old Blend Energy” (ba-dum-tss). There’s something that feels very old and settled about this. It’s not over-engineered or maxed out in any one direction, but it’s nicely harmonious, with more depth than most 12 year olds and some interesting subtle notes to sit with. Garioch has high highs but is a bit of a mixed bag over the decades. In fact, one of my worst ever whiskies was their flagship 10 year old circa the early 2000s, and then there’s the soapy years in the 80s… but their 70s output was incredible and this actually no longer feels worlds away. Side-by-side with a GG 15 bottled in the late 80s this doesn’t feel out of place whatsoever. They are definitely on the right track. It has its own character but it’s very much in line with Benromach, Springbank, Ben Nevis… you know, the nerd distilleries. Really solid whisky, great value too.

Beautiful combination of casks. Not too much sherry and the 48% are easy to drink.

Glen Garioch 12 Category: Single Malt Manufacturer and bottler: Glen Garioch Distillery (Beam Suntory) Region: Highlands Min. exposure: 12 years Barrels: Bourbon & Sherry Fortress: 48% Volume: 700 ml Bottling date: 02/10/2022 Filtering: no Dye: present Nose. Very rich and thick, sweet fruity with a slight influence of wood and spices. Complex and memorable, with its own individual character, good barrel work. Baked yellow apples and pears, candied orange, beeswax, barberry candies, apricot plum jam, dried compote cherries, maple syrup, caramel, cocoa, dried banana, dark honey, dandelion flower jam, apple strudel with vanilla and cinnamon, ginger . Taste. Sour citrus fruits are first replaced by sweet toffee and dark honey, then a fruity “riot” of the components indicated in the aromatics sets in, and at the end intense spices are connected and the influence of wood is felt. 48% is ideal for him - whisky does not feel, on the one hand, liquid and lightweight, and on the other hand, this degree is quite comfortable to drink and allows you to concentrate all the flavor aspects well. Aftertaste. Very lengthy. Drying. Bright peach and dried apricots, cookies, ginger and pepper. Summary. The perfect balance between character, individuality and ease of perception by the end user. Bright, interesting, rich, multi-component organoleptics, but at the same time accessible and understandable. A cool example of a relatively young tasty fruit whisky with a harmonious and high-quality work of barrels of two classic types: bourbon and sherry. Classics of the genre. Rating: 85 out of 100.

Great stuff, not at all lost to those Distillery's whose prices have been hyped. I heard that Garioch means "smile", indeed, when I drink such a great core range whisky, I really smile happily :) The taste score is 86 points, and the price does not affect the score.

The nose is intense and somewhat heavy. Full and spicy. Dark fruits abound: Plums, figs maybe some forest berries, some rising bread in the background. After a few minutes the fruit disappears and I get much more substantial aromas. Some game stock and cured bacon from a backwoods butchery. This nose is a meal! Could I order a side of curly fries?…back to work! Tastes sweet and spicy. There is a zippy and quite peppery oak but that remains pleasant. Dried apricots and seaweed. There’s something to try! In the background there is a trace of strong Ethiopian coffee. The finish is medium long and getting dryer. I like this heavy nose a lot, too bad the palate doesn’t deliver. Still, very solid uncommercial style and very nice strength for a standard bottling…

A nice sherried whisky. I would give a higher score, but I dont prefer this type of scotch. It kinda reminds me of Glen Scotia 15 btw.

Very condensed, opened up with water showing lovely cacao notes.

The familiar Glen Garioch and well so.

I smell fresh fruit, caramel, vanilla, honey and a slight cherry in the aftertaste

Quite drinkable. It was the first one when I met a single malt itself. And today i remember how it feels now and tell you my thoughts.

Aroma: Dried fruits, dried plum, ripe red apples, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, vanilla custard, barley malt, a hint of chocolate Taste: In line with the aroma, dried fruits, plum, red apples, cinnamon, chocolate, plenty of honey, notes of vanilla, fairly long finish, lingering, fruity notes, chocolate, honey Overall Impression: Good whisky, with a distinct sherry-matured character, ideal for beginners to get familiar with sherry

Not bad molts. Price-quality

Not fan of this for some reason . It's quite flavorful, not feeling thin or anything, but i didn't enjoy that much that mix of bourbon and sherry cask (even as i like sherry cask and bourbon separately). Its kinda fruity . little sharp. finish is medium .

A great old school malt. Completely underrated! - thewhiskymural.com

For the character and the fact it`s only 12 years old this is a remarkable whisky. The remarkable thing is the taste is not constant but changes with time, mood and temperature. At 48% it`s also a damned good buy.