Rare Find Glenglassaugh 11yo Cask #155 & Rare Find Annandale 6yo (Peated) Cask #14201

Rare Find Glenglassaugh 11yo Cask #155

Region: Highlands

ABV: 55.9%

Price: £71.95

Distilled on 19 May 2014 and finished for 11 months in a first fill Saint-Emilion Grand Cru red wine barrique, this Glenglassaugh was bottled in 2025 after 11 years of maturation. Just 302 bottles were released. For full transparency, Gleann Mor provided us with a sample - though, of course, this won’t influence our review.

Nose

The nose opens with buttered popcorn, biscuit crumbs, cream cheese, light citrus and a little cocoa bean. We're also finding some red fruits behind this, mostly strawberries dipped in chocolate, and a little oak tannin - however not too much as to be overbearing. The alcohol is quite well balanced - there's a slight bit of gingery prickle but it's well integrated. As the nose opens up, we're starting to get a lot more - not necessarily different notes, but all of the aforementioned aromas become bolder.

Palate

The palate has an initial hit of candied strawberry, lots of buttercream, wisps of cask char and Cadburys chocolate buttons on the latter palate. The alcohol is a tad more prominent here, with a warm ginger spice that is still balanced but makes itself known as a cask strength dram. The mouthfeel is nice, a sugar syrup like texture, and the finish lingers for a good while with mostly chocolate and warm oak spice lingering. Going back, we're also getting a bit of earthy rhubarb and lime zest. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings forward those earthy notes, richer chocolate, slightly muddy, slightly more tannic, even a handful of sour cranberries also appear. Less bourbon wood influence, more red wine cask influence - not necessarily a bad thing at all.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has much more of a zing upfront - lots of underripe sour red fruits, lots of lime, but still maintaining a good amount of chocolate, even some caramel now. Water has brought this to life on the palate, it definitely benefits from a few drops to open it up.

Conclusion

A pretty solid red wine finish here - still remnants of the bourbon maturation coming through but accented by some fruit and earthy oak. We'd happily drink a dram. 

Score: 7.5/10

Value

Not a terrible price when compared to other indie bottlers releases.

Rare Find Annandale 6yo (Peated) Cask #14201 

Region: Lowlands

ABV: 60.4%

Price: £67.95

Distilled on 14 March 2019 and first matured in an Oloroso butt, this Annandale was re racked into a 12 month seasoned Oloroso barrique for finishing, then bottled in June 2025 at six years old. Just 334 bottles were released. Once again, the sample was provided to us.

Nose

Just opening the bottle, we're immediately hit with a waft of smouldering embers before we've even poured it into the glass. Nosing it, we're finding something quite fishy, briny, salty, it's like walking into a fishmongers. There's also a handful of pickling spices, peppercorns and freshly scraped vanilla pods in the background. For 60% ABV, the nose is soft and inviting, it's fairly well balanced although perhaps a tad one dimensional.

Palate

The palate opens with lots of cinnamon and clove, dark chocolate, ground ginger and a backbone of salty, earthy peat smoke that engulfs the mouth. Those burning embers from the nose are translated to the palate and we're finding lots of star anise lingering on the medium length finish. The mouthfeel is fine, not thin but not the thickest texture, and we're getting a bit more meatiness as the dram develops - roasted venison with a chocolate sauce. 

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose continues with the briny, fishy and salty profile, we're by the seaside with a barbecue of roasted and smoked fish. There's still a creaminess behind this, the fresh vanilla is still there to be found. Not too much change overall.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate continues along the same lines as the unreduced version, but we're getting something a little more astringent, slightly more spirit forward, letting the younger age show a bit more. Saying that, the finish seems to have exaggerated the sherry, with more star anise, cloves and salted meats coming through.

Conclusion

We've had questionable experiences with Annandale in the past, however this expression is well made and well matured, quite impressive for only 6 years old. For being a sherry butt into sherry barrique, it's not a sherry bomb, but there's a good amount of dried spices that balance with the salty, ashy peat smoke well. A few rough edges, but one of the better Annandale's we've tried.

Score: 7/10

Value

Peated spirit and re-racking into sherry will have both added to the cost, but this is good value for this distillery.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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