1996 Alexander Murray Glentauchers 17 Years is a release from NDP Alexander Murray. If you frequent Trader Joe’s or Costco the name might be quite familiar because they supply whisky them under both the Alexander Murray label and under TJ’s & Costco’s own label, which is just a slightly modified AM label. One thing for sure that can be said about them is that they’ve found a niche that gives them a wide distribution and a lot of exposure – congrats to them on that accomplishment.
This particular sample comes from the Glentauchers distillery which isn’t a well known Speyside distillery and from searching the site this is the only Glentauchers I’ve ever reviewed, and looking at my notes it’s only the 3rd I’ve ever tasted. The Glentauchers distillery was founded in 1898 and has been used primarily for blending in Ballentine’s and Teacher’s.
On the whole Glentauchers Releases are a bit on the rare side as they’ve only had a handful of limited OBs in the past and it hasn’t been a focus for most NDPs. Which is why I was a bit surprised to see this 1996 Alexander Murray Glentauchers 17 Years show up in the samples they sent.
1996 Alexander Murray Glentauchers 17 Years Info
Region: Speyside, Scotland
Distiller: Gentauchers
Bottler: Alexander Murray
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Age: 17 Years
ABV: 40%
Price: $110*
1996 Alexander Murray Glentauchers 17 Years Review
EYE
Golden
NOSE
Honey, stone fruit, pie crust, malt and jelly fruit candy with some light notes of nutmeg, lemon frosting and a dried tropical fruit. By no means an unpleasant aroma, but it’s lacking in depth.
PALATE
Malt, honey, stone fruit, nutmeg, and lighter notes of marmalade and tootsie rolls. There’s a slight bit of earthiness under everything and the palate teases at awesomeness. Again, though, it comes through rather light overall.
FINISH
Short pop of fruit, malt and a touch of cocoa.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Ok balance, medium body and a soft easy feel.
OVERALL
1996 Alexander Murray Glentauchers 17 Years hints at awesomeness, but comes up shy. It has a a soft sweet aroma that’s pleasing, but is muted and on the lighter side of things. The palate sings the same tune of being pleasing, but light and muted. There is a lot of promise in this whisky and I think if it were delivered in a more natural state it could possibly be a great whisky, but I get why they neuter it like this.
They’re focusing on the mass market, not the whisky nerds. The 1996 Alexander Murray Glentauchers 17 Years is delivered at 40% to appeal to your average Trader Joe’s and Costco shopper. They don’t want to challenge their customers, they want to sit in their comfort zone and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a tactic that results in lighter, “smoother” and more “accessible” whisky which is exactly what I’ve come to expect from the AM brand. So I get it; that doesn’t mean I won’t complain about it a bit, but I get it.
SCORE: 84/100 (B)
*Disclosure: This 1996 Alexander Murray Glentauchers 17 Years was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
