Glenturret 12 years

Score: 70

Glenturret 12 Year Old re-entered the market with almost no fanfare, yet those who paid attention quickly realized it had hit the jackpot. In its blind tasting lineup, it ranked a solid 4th, beating out several pricier and flashier contenders. The bottle we sampled was the 2021 release, crafted under the new stewardship of Bob Dalgarno, formerly of Macallan fame. That pedigree shows: this dram channels the sherried elegance Macallan once boasted in its better days, before wood fatigue and batch inconsistency dulled the magic. The nose opens with dense prune, date, and old oak, followed by dried apricot, cinnamon, and a touch of cocoa powder. On the palate, it’s smooth and layered—dark cherries, clove, and stewed fruits mingle with caramelized citrus and toasted biscuit. There’s a warm undercurrent of nutmeg and ginger, wrapped in soft wood spice. The finish is long and gently bitter, with grapefruit peel, licorice, and herbal depth that keeps you coming back. It’s bottled at 46% ABV, giving it enough weight without overwhelming the subtleties. While later batches have leaned woodier and lost some of that initial sparkle, the 2021 12er remains a standout, elegant, expressive, and quietly confident. It’s the kind of bottle that reshapes expectations without shouting for attention. And in our tasting, it earned its place not just through nostalgia or pedigree, but through sheer quality in the glass.