With the Corona virus raging around us since early 2020, it is sometimes hard to remember that we passed through seasons. From winter to spring with summer season just upon us in the Northern hemisphere.

I thought that for the weekend, it would be a great time to review a whisky befitting spring time (just before we move on to the summer) and weekend, something like Glen Ord 18 Year Old that was part of Diageo Special Releases 2019.

Glen Ord is one of the triumvirate distilleries Diageo uses for The Singleton brand along with Dufftown and Glendulan. Usually Glen Ord is reserved to The Singleton marketed to the Far East region (so we do not get it in Europe, Middle East and America), so it was nice to have the opportunity to check an official release from the distillery.

The Singleton of Glen Ord 18 Year Old Special Releases 2019 (55%, £129.95/€129.90)

Nose: Honey, springtime blossoming meadow, gentle oak wood spices with a dash of white pepper, cereals, au naturale almonds, marzipan. Very fresh and lively with floral tinge.

Palate: Sweet honey, spicy and somewhat green and floral, Meadow, blossoming orchard, pears, cereals, white pepper.

Finish: Medium length, honey, oak wood spices, white pepper, green fruits.

Thoughts: Solid and unspectacular whisky – really nothing to write home about. However, it does showcases the distillery characteristics and you can understand why Diageo vastly expanded the distillery in the last decade and has Glen Ord as the backbone and body for many of their blends (Hello Johnnie!) with this quite full bodied whisky, a bit of sweetness and spice (and also floral/green tinge in this instance). But while you may think this is a disappointing whisky, it’s wrong. The truth is that it’s a lovely spring time balcony/porch/garden sipping whisky on a lovely and warm spring day.