Glenglassaugh debuts wood-finished range

by Owen Bellwood

Brown-Forman-owned Glenglassaugh Distillery has launched a new limited-edition range that includes the brand's first wood-finished expressions.

The new bottling’s from the once forgotten distillery include: Peated Virgin Oak Wood Finish, Pedro Ximenez Sherry Wood Finish, Peated Port Wood Finish and Port Wood Finish. Peated Virgin Oak Wood Finish is finished in American virgin oak casks. It is described as having notes of "creamy vanilla with toasted oak spice flows over candy store confectionery and crisp freshly peated barley" on the nose. On the palate, Pedro Ximenez Sherry Wood Finish is said to have notes of "vanilla-infused demerara sugar over pear tarte Tatin, finished with a cedar wood spice and rich, sweet barley." The third expression, Peated Port Wood, is finished in ruby Port pipes, which is said to bring "waves of velvet tannins and peppered dark fruit, reminiscent of winter berries by an open fire, kissed by the sea". Port Wood Finish is said to have notes of "vibrant pink grapefruit and blood orange" which give the expression a "fresh, zest character". Glenglassaugh whisky maker Rachel Barrie said: “The release of Glenglassaugh’s first ever wood finish range marks a new chapter for this distillery.” She continued: “As surf crashes on Sandend Bay and invigorating North Sea air passes through our warehouses, Glenglassaugh matures first in American ex-Bourbon casks, before changing course in either virgin oak, Pedro Ximenez or Port wood, on a voyage shaped by the sea.” The coastal distillery reopened in 2008 after being mothballed for more than 20 years and has previously released single cask expressions as well as those aged in octave casks, which are made from repurposed staves and measure an eighth the size of a butt.