Whisky Sponge Glen Ord 13yo

Whisky: Whisky Sponge Glen Ord 13yo

Region: Highlands

ABV: 48.5%

Price: £75

Next up is a refill hogshead Glen Ord, distilled in 2007, bottled 13 years later with an outturn of just 337 bottles. We’ve not tried much Ord as the majority of their output goes into Johnnie Walker.

Nose

Initially we’re getting green grass, sugar syrup, mango and peach. Digging deeper there’s pineapple, and creamy butterscotch pie. Finally, there’s also a little mustiness with old wood laced with citrus oils.

Palate

Good start with pomegranate, fresh sour green apple, both skin and flesh. Ginger juice, foam bananas and a slight toffee note. Also some of the expected sweet vanilla notes with a good medium length finish.

Nose (with water)

There’s still the same tropical fruits as pre-dilution, but now there’s also some sweet moscatel wine. Oddly we also detect a note that reminds us of young spirit, and lemon pith.

Palate (with water)

Less fruit more bakery. Viennese whirls, strawberry jam, buttery shortbread, but not much else. Mid to short finish. Water hasn’t really improved this, and we reckon the dilution by sponge is all this needs.

Conclusion

Great for people who like whiskies with sweet tropical fruits notes. This is a non-offensive whisky. It’s also a little flat in places and lacks pizzaz. However, it’s still a pleasant dram. A perfect whisky to start a whisky novice friend out on, but for the rest of maybe just a a dram now and then.

Score: 7/10 

• 10 - Perfection. A whisky that we’ll remember forever.
• 9 - Amazing. We’d pay through the nose for a bottle.
• 8 - Great. Pick this up at RRP.
• 7 - Good. Happy to have a dram or two but wouldn’t buy a bottle.
• 6 - Passable. Would accept a dram, but wouldn’t seek it out.
• 5 - Poor. Would drink if it was the only option.
• 4 - Bad. Maybe it can be saved by ginger beer?
• 3 - Awful. It can't be saved by ginger beer.
• 2 - Pour it out
• 1 - We’ve never tried a whisky rated this low and hopefully never will.

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