Glen Breton Rare 21 year old Single Malt (43%)
The Glenora Inn & Distillery, aka Glen Breton, was born in 1990 in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, as North America’s first modern single malt distillery. It was the brainchild of Bruce Jardine, who set it up in consultation (but not partnership) with the Bowmore Distillery of Islay, Scotland.
To say that the distillery’s first decade of existence was difficult is to understate things greatly. Over its first ten years, Glenora went through not just one, but two separate bankruptcies, and also witnessed the untimely death of its founder. Eventually, though, things got back on track and the first release arrived to market in 1998 as an 8 year old single malt.
Since those early days of struggle, Glenora has excelled and when I visited in 2018 while researching Canadian Spirits, I was thrilled to discover great whiskies from the flagship 10 year old all the way to its peated expressions, ice wine cask finishes, and ever-older age statement whiskies. As a bonus, the Inn is superb and a great place to stay while exploring Cape Breton, or just to while away a few days relaxing and eating and drinking in a bucolic setting.
Most recently, I was able to sample Glenora’s 19 year old and 21 year old expressions for an article on aged Canadian whisky for Whisky Advocate magazine (publication date TBD) and came away, once again, very much impressed. And at respectively $200 and $263 per bottle, they are one-third to one-half the price of comparably aged Scottish malts.
While I have been sitting on these reviews for some time out of respect for my magazine article, in which my review of the 19 year old appears, I am compelled to offer my thoughts on the 21 year old here today as I have just learned that the distillery is suffering from the US alcohol boycott much more acutely than I had previously imagined. Apparently, they had been selling in excess of one-third of their inventory to the States, without which additional pressure has been brought to bear on this most historically challenged – but resilient! – distillery.
If you have the financial ability to do so, I would encourage you to support not only Glenora, but also other great Canadian distilleries, and ask for your favourites by name at your local government or private liquor store. Order whisky online and Glen Breton will even throw in an attractive whisky glass with every purchase over $100.
As for my thoughts on the Glen Breton Rare 21 year old, it is a nectar-gold in colour with an enticing aroma of smoke, marshmallow, peach, oak, orange zest, and a hint of brine, all mixing and mingling in a most attractive complexity.
On the palate, the entry is rich with honey-ish fruit notes, giving rise to thoughts of wildflower honey spread over peach halves dusted with a light grating of lemon zest. Greater complexity arises in the mid-palate, with oak, toffee, herbal notes, a touch of Maritime character, and hints of kiwi and lime joining the honey and fruit, but remaining just off-dry and just a bit smoky. The lengthy finish offers lingering spice and fading fruit.
Overall, this is a malt of great maturity and elegance. Serve it to your whisky-loving friends and tell them only after sipping of its provenance.
