The 25 Year Old sits at the senior end of The Glenrothes' Soleo Collection and, like the rest of the range, is matured exclusively in first-fill sherry-seasoned oak. It is bottled at 43%, the standard strength for the older Soleo expressions.
Glenrothes has been producing whisky on the edge of Rothes since 1879, its stills operating alongside the Burn of Rothes. The distillery's fame for much of the twentieth century rested on its role in blends rather than as a single malt in its own right, and the reintroduction of aged single-malt releases has drawn on warehouse stocks accumulated during that long blending career.
Twenty-five years in active sherry wood is a demanding proposition, and the Soleo programme's commitment to first-fill casks could easily overwhelm a lighter spirit. Glenrothes's heavier new make holds its ground, and the result is a whisky where fruit, oak and spice share the plate rather than compete for it.
An aged Speyside with clear house signature, and a useful counterpoint to the younger, stronger Whisky Maker's Cut from the same collection.
