Review #1283 – Glenrothes 40yr Gordon & MacPhail 1973 First Fill Sherry

This is an independent bottling of spirit distilled at Glenrothes distillery. It was distilled in 1973, and bottled in 2013 by Gordon & MacPhail. It was bottled at 43% ABV with no coloring or filtering. This is an old one, and my oldest Glenrothes to date, so I’m curious to see how it is. Lets dive in.

Review #1283 | Scotch Review #449

Distiller: Glenrothes

Bottler: Gordon MacPhail

Selection: N/A

ABV: 43% ABV

Age: 40 Years

Nose: Fresh baked bread, vanilla bean, honey, light toffee. Some pepper, light fruits. Not super bold overall.

Taste: Thin to medium mouth feel, some honey. Fresh cake batter, light raspberry, cherry, vanilla bean. Nice pepper influence. Apples and pears.

Finish: Short, lots of yeast, baked goods, faint cocoa. Not super intense. Toffee, apples, caramel.

Overall: This is very nice but quite muted overall. I love this but can’t help but wonder how some extra proof could help it. That said, this is far from bad, and its ranking shows.

Thanks for reading!

Rank: 7

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Decoded:

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect