Glasgow 1770 Red Wine & Ruby Port

@GlasgowDC @1770Whisky have released a number of small Batches, currently all numbered #1, this is their first batch of Red Wine & Ruby Port finish.

Let's see what it's like!

Located on a small industrial estate in south west Glasgow, the Glasgow Distillery Company was founded in 2014 by Liam Hughes, Mike Hayward and Ian McDougall . It's bottlings are labelled Glasgow 1770 after an earlier Glasgow Distillery Company which was founded at Dundashill in 1770 and remained active until consequent closure at the beginning of the 20th Century. 

Red Wine & Ruby Port finish is the latest in a line of Small Batch Limited Editions, let's see what it's like:

Distillery notes:

The latest release in our Small Batch Series, this is the first time that we have married together two spirit styles that have each undergone two different maturation processes.

Both initially laid down in 2018, our peated single malt has been matured in virgin American white oak and finished in Bordeaux red wine casks, whilst our triple distilled single malt has been matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks and finished in ruby port. A total of six casks (18956, 18957, 18958, 18971, 18972, 18974) that were married together in late 2022, bottled at 57.5% without chill filtration and at natural colour, 1,925 bottles have been made from this first batch.

Tasting notes:

Nose: Notes of red berries and dark fruits on the nose

Palate: Notes of toasted almonds and tobacco on the palate

Finish: A long and spicy finish with hints of pink peppercorns

My thoughts:

Appearance: Reddy gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly to form an inverted crown and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: Hedgerow berries, plums, dates, cherries and brown sugar to start. There's some marzipan notes and a gentle smoke. 

Palate: Thick, sweet arrival, all of the berry and dark fruit notes from the nose are back along with a kick of youthful spice. The ABV is immediately noticeable but I didn't see the need for any water. Brown sugar, dark chocolate and hazelnuts linger as the liquid coats the tongue. A little citrus, salinity and gentle smoke note as it disappears.

Finish: Lingering peppery spice, berries and dry smoke.

Overall: I've tried a few of 1770's Limited Editions now and been impressed with all of them! They've moved up to 70cl bottles with a fancy new cork enclosure and as the liquid is getting older it's getting more complex and enjoyable. I've always been a sucker for port finish and lately for wine finish, a marriage of the pair is a match made in heaven. Get one while you can!

Loving the new 1770 corks, beautiful fired still on the lid which overlaps the top 5mm of the bottle rather than just sitting on top of it.