Glenrothes Vintage 2011, 12 Year Old Signatory Vintage / 48.2% / 0.7l

Founded in 1988 by Andrew and Brian Symington, Signatory Vintage is today a leading independent publisher and distributor of whisky.

Few remember that Symington started with just £100,000 and nearly went bankrupt several times in the first five years of operation. The name “Signatory” means Signatory and Symington intended to hire someone famous to sign each edition. The first cask of whisky in Signatory’s range was Glenlivet 1968, but before the company found the right signatory, there was no trace of the whisky. The Glenrothes presented here, distilled 2011, spent over 12 years in bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks and was bottled in 2023 at 48.2% abv and without chill filtration, marked “Small Batch #2”.

Aroma: buttery croissant, honeyed breakfast cereals, raisins and sultanas, orange peel, caramel, cinnamon and a pinch of cloves.

Palate: vanilla pudding, chocolate raisins, honey, milk fudge, cinnamon buns, peaches, mirabelle jam, white pepper, ginger and oak.

Finish: medium long, with notes of vanilla, honey, orchard fruit, white pepper, ginger and oak.