🥃 The Glenrothes

The Glenrothes is a distillery and single malt Scotch whisky brand in the town of Rothes in Speyside. It was built in 1878 and is known for its tall stills and for maturation mostly in sherry casks. Whiskypedia describes it as complex and slow to develop, so it benefits from time in the glass.

History. The distillery was built in 1878 and nearly went bankrupt before completion: the investors, who also owned Macallan, were hit by the collapse of the Glasgow Bank. The group broke up, and William Grant, Robert Dick and John Cruickshank completed the building thanks to a loan from the Knockando church. In 1887 Glenrothes merged with Bunnahabhain, creating Highland Distillers, the predecessor of Edrington. Berry Bros & Rudd acquired the brand rights in 1987 and released the first vintages in 1993. According to Whiskypedia, Edrington took the brand back in 2017; the dates in the sources differ.

How it is made. The mashing is quick, fermentation in a mix of steel and wooden washbacks is short, and distillation is long, in very tall stills with ball sections that increase reflux. Most of the whisky matures in casks that held sherry, both European and American oak, and also in bourbon casks.

Range. Whiskypedia describes the result as a whisky with nuts, fruit and sweet spice. In 2018 a range with age statements replaced the vintages.

Why this matters to you. A vintage shows the year of distillation, while in the newer range the age is that of the youngest whisky in the bottle. Check this on the label. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.