Back in February, I reviewed a very enjoyable pair of Glen Grant bottlings (especially the Whisky Agency one), so it is time to return to the distillery with another duo of mature independent releases. This time, the lineup brings together a 28-year-old Glen Grant distilled in 1991 and bottled by Whisky Broker at 52.7% ABV, alongside a 30-year-old 1995 from Signatory Vintage’s Symington’s Choice series.
Glen Grant 1991 Whisky Broker (2020) Review
We start with a Glen Grant 1991 from Whiskybroker. Whisky Broker is a Scottish independent bottler and cask-services company founded by Martin Armstrong in 2010. Based at a former steelworks in Creetown, it buys and stores casks, offers bottling, re-racking, vatting and export services, and releases its own cask-led whiskies; the company says it now bottles about 250,000 bottles annually. Distilled in 1991 and bottled in 2020, it’s a 28-year-old single hogshead, cask #130764, bottled at a cask strength of 52.7% ABV, non-chill-filtered and naturally coloured as is standard for this bottler. The hogshead yielded just under 200 bottles, but all of them are long gone from retailer shelves.
Colour:
Deep gold.
Nose:
Neat: Fresh and aromatic with apples, pears, and mirabelle plums, plus a good dose of vanilla, with the oak clearly present but well integrated. Old-age character shows through polished hardwood and polishing oil, an immense pipe tobacco note, tart citrus, and a mineral edge of limestone and graphite, rounding into lush mango and peach after a while.
With water: More floral and fruity, full of pears, grapes, dried apricot, apples, honeycomb, and malt.
Palate:
Neat: Fruit from the nose returns immediately, supplemented by a lot of oak spiciness and a drying bitterness — the oak is grand here, even a little over the top, drowning out the fruit somewhat, with a salty edge midpalate alongside ginger, white pepper, liquorice, and vanilla. Grassy, floral, and pleasantly dry, with zesty orange, cider apple, underripe pear, green hazelnut, grainy malt, and white pepper.
With water: Juicy fruit notes emerge alongside citrus zest, hay, vanilla pudding and wax.
Finish:
Medium-long, starting fruity before turning dry and grassy, with bitter oak and nuts becoming increasingly prominent. Lemon, fudge, with wood becoming more noticeable toward the end.
Comments:
A lovely, summery Glen Grant, full of fruit with a good touch of spice. The oak adds some structure, although it can become a little too noticeable at times. Still, it is a very enjoyable dram overall.
Rating: 7.5/10
Glen Grant 1995 Signatory Vintage (2026) Review
Next, we have a Glen Grant 1995 Signatory Vintage, single cask #88234. Distilled on 31 May 1995 and bottled on 30 January 2026 as part of Signatory’s Cask Strength Collection — Symington’s Choice, this is a 30-year-old bourbon barrel bottling, presented at 48.7% ABV, non-chill-filtered and natural colour, with an outturn of 181 bottles. This is still widely available: from £200 in the UK and €275 in Europe.
Colour:
Jonquille.
Nose:
Neat: Ripe pear and apple lead alongside vanilla and light caramel, joined by honey, fresh flowers, apricot, and peach. Cookie dough and butterscotch character comes through too, along with dried fruit candy sweetness. Citrus fruits and peaches find crème brûlée, shortbread, hay, and a touch of peppery spice, all sitting on a moderately intense nose.
Palate:
Neat: Very oily in texture, slightly sharp but fruity, with pineapple, wet wood, and apricot leaning tropical overall — a little complex in a good way. Smooth vanilla and caramel meet dark fruit and wood in a nicely balanced take, with a good balance between sweetness and dryness, well-integrated alcohol, and a relatively heavy body.
Finish:
Long and elegant with soft fruit sweetness and light nutty nuances, touched by oak and vanilla. Yellow fruit brings a pretty strong finish early on that lingers a while.
Comments:
Another very good Glen Grant. It may be a little less complex than the 1991 Whisky Broker bottling, despite the greater age, but it is also less woody and less bitter, which makes for a more balanced profile. Tasted on its own, it could easily be taken for a whisky in its twenties; blind, I am not sure I would have guessed it to be 30 years old. Still, it is a very enjoyable dram, and the price feels fair for what it offers.
Rating: 7.5/10
Thanks Nico!