The Scotch Malt has purchased numerous Glen Garioch 2003 casks, as we reviewed one a few years ago. Whiskybase records about fifty 2003 Glen Garioch bottlings by the SMWS, and their ratings indicate that the Scotch Malt Whisky Society made excellent selections. Let’s reduce this extensive list slightly by reviewing two Glen Garioch 2003 SMWS bottlings: the 19.71 (an 18-year-old) and the 19,103 from January 2025’s outturn, and the latest Glen Garioch 2003 release.
Glen Garioch 2003 SMWS 19.71 Mad Wax: Fruity Load! (2022) Review
Today’s first Glen Garioch was distilled on February 17, 2003, and bottled in 2022. It matured for 19 years in a 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society filled 230 bottles at cask strength (54.4%) without chill filtration or colouring. This bottling has sold out.
Colour:
Jonquille.
Nose:
Neat: Tropical fruits and wax, with hints of solvent and young grain whisky harshness. Vanilla, fresh brioche, red apple, pear, and peach aromas, along with pencil shavings.
With water: Custard, blond tobacco, milk chocolate, and wood notes emerge.
Palate:
Neat: Waxy mouthfeel with vanilla, pepper, white chocolate, wood resin, pine sap, beeswax, grapefruit, pineapple, and chocolate biscuits.
With water: Citrus fruits, orange marmalade, oily mouthfeel, and menthol cigarettes.
Finish:
Chili, pepper, espresso, wood bitterness, spent tea leaves, herbaceous notes, and hints of mint.
Comments:
Enhanced Conclusion:
This 18-year-old Glen Garioch 2003 SMWS initially presents a grainy nose when neat, but water significantly improves its aroma, revealing more nuanced and rich notes. The palate is quite pleasant, offering a satisfying balance of fruity and woody flavours. Because of its improvement after reduction, let’s give it a 7.
Rating: 7/10
Glen Garioch 2003 SMWS 19.103 Delight in the uncanny (2025) Review
Nicknamed ‘Delight in the uncanny’, this second Glen Garioch was also distilled on February 17, 2003, and bottled at the end of 2024 or early 2025. It was released as part of SMWS’ January 2025 Outturn. The whisky matured for 21 years in a 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead, and the SMWS filled 241 bottles at cask strength (56.4%) without chill filtration or colouring. It remains available on the SMWS UK (£149) and SMWS EU (€191) websites.
Colour:
Deep copper.
Nose:
Neat: Hints of grilled fish skin and estery tropical fruits like dragonfruit, mango, and pineapple. Light oak notes accompany strawberry and raspberry jam.
With water: Cola aroma emerges, followed by a slightly musty scent reminiscent of a dunnage warehouse with an earthen floor.
Palate:
Neat: Tropical fruits, strawberry jam, dark chocolate, subtle wood notes, celery stick, baking spices, and custard.
With water: Pineapple, pepper, jalapeño chili, nutmeg, and crème brulée flavours come forward.
Finish:
Tropical fruits linger, with strawberries and a hint of everything from the palate. Pepper notes also persist.
Comments:
This older Glen Garioch 2003 SMWS benefited from three additional years in the cask. The grainy notes on the nose, present in the younger bottling, have vanished. It has gained depth and complexity, along with some intriguing and funky aromas. Overall, it’s really good!
Rating: 7.5/10
Bottle pictures courtesy of the SMWS.