Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve is one of the core whiskies of, and the signature offering from, Glen Garioch (pronounced geery… like Gary but with an e). I’ve had a couple of Glen Gariochs in my time and they’ve either been really good, like the Exclusive Casks Glen Garioch 23, or they’ve been really poor, like the pre-95 Glen Garioch 15 so when I sunk my palate into the Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve I was really surprised by what I what found.
Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve Info
Region: Highlands, Scotland
Distiller: Glen Garioch
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon & ex-Sherry
Age: NAS
ABV: 48%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $45
Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve Review
EYE
Coppery amber
NOSE
Big malty fruity and nutty aroma with lighter layers of citrus, dark sweets and a bit of oak and spice. It’s quite a nice aroma.
PALATE
It’s nearly identical to the aroma except the nuttiness has turned a bit roasty and moved up a notch followed by malt, fruit and light notes of candied citrus, wood and spice. It’s smirk-inducingly good.
FINISH
Long and lovely layers of oak, malt, fruit, nuts and spice.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced and full bodied with a warm, heavy, oily feel.
OVERALL
Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve is an outstanding single malt and in the world NAS single malts under $50 it stands out like a sore thumb as an example of something awesome. A whisky that’s well constructed and interesting across all the senses. The way the notes mix and mingle is, in a word, delightful.
We can add the Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve to the list of NAS whiskies done right. They’re delivering a good whisky at a decent price and I honestly don’t care how old it is because I’m getting an experience that parallels the price. Cheers to Glen Garioch on this one!
SCORE: 87-89/100 (B+, not consumed at home)