🥃 Glen Garioch Founder's Reserve
Basic expression of Glen Garioch with no age statement: a Highland single malt whisky at 48% ABV, not chill-filtered.
Glen Garioch Founder's Reserve is the basic expression of the Glen Garioch distillery, located at Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire. It is a single malt Scotch whisky with no age statement, bottled at 48% ABV. It was previously sold as 1797 Founder's Reserve, in honour of the year the distillery was founded.
The official website says the whisky matures in casks that held bourbon and sherry; Difford's Guide mentions American oak. Like the core range, it is not chill-filtered. The expression came out during a range update, and the Whisky For Everyone review described it as early as January 2010. Like any Scotch, it must spend at least three years in oak.
Why it matters to you. Founder's Reserve and Glen Garioch 12 Years Old have the same strength, but the 12-year-old states its age on the label. If you compare with other basic Scotches, note that 48% ABV is noticeably stronger than the usual 40%. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 48% ABV |
|---|---|
| Minimum maturation | no age statement; by law at least 3 years in oak |
| Cask type | bourbon and sherry casks (official website) |
| Raw material | malted barley |
| EU category | 2 — whisky/whiskey |
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890): Single Malt Scotch Whisky; Highland |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Glen Garioch Founder's Reserve → packed in → 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel, 🐝 American white oak, 🍷 Sherry
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Glen Garioch, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Scotch Whisky
- Related to
- 🥃 Highland whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 The Glenlivet Founder's Reserve, 🥃 Glen Garioch 12 Years Old, 🥃 Glen Garioch 12 Years Old
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that 1797 on the bottle is the age of the whisky?
No. 1797 is the year the distillery was founded; Founder's Reserve has no age statement.
What is the strength of Founder's Reserve?
48% ABV, according to the official website and Difford's Guide.
Is it chill-filtered?
No. According to Difford's Guide and the brand's description, the whisky is bottled without chill filtration.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky — Malted barley is the base of whisky: malt enzymes convert starch in the mash, and EU whisky is distilled below 94.8% vol.
- 🐝 American white oak — A North American oak that gives wine strong vanilla and coconut notes.
- 🥃 Highland whisky — Protected region of Scotch whisky north of the legal Highland–Lowland boundary; the SWA’s 2024 map shows 55 distilleries here.
Similar
🥃 Glen Garioch 12 Years Old · 🥃 Highland Park 15 Year Old Viking Heart · 🥃 Deanston 18 Year Old · 🥃 The Deveron 12 Year Old · 🥃 Speyburn 18 Year Old · 🥃 Deanston Virgin Oak
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Glen Garioch (official): Founder's Reserve (48 % ABV; bourbon and sherry casks; range non-chill-filtered)
- Difford's Guide: Glen Garioch 1797 Founder's Reserve Highland single malt (48 % ABV; non-chill-filtered; name after founding year 1797)
- Whisky For Everyone: Review, Glen Garioch Founder's Reserve (29.01.2010; 48 % ABV; no age statement; distillery reopened 1997)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: Scotch Whisky (Scotland, oak casks up to 700 l, min. 3 years, min. 40 % ABV); Single Malt Scotch Whisky
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)