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Glen Breton Rare is a Canadian single malt (not many of those around!) which is aged for 10 years in American oak casks. The Glenora distillery, where Glen Breton is produced, resides in the beautiful Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The name 'Glen Breton' was a point of contention, even before the whisky was released!
Drinking straight Scotch is like drinking black coffee, why would anyone do it. I do both, a lot. Some Scotch I hate and some I love and a lot in between have that paint thinner finish. I think this one is the best I've ever tasted; drinking it neat is the only way to go with this one. It doesn't bite you or taste like you're drinking peat water. It's so surprisingly smooth that my Scotch hating wife liked it. I would recommend keeping a bottle on hand for friends but I've found that's impossible to do once my friends know I have a bottle.
As a collector of a travel series I saw this on Eastern Canada as Zoe visited Glenora at Cape Breton. She described it the alcohol hits you before the flavour which said to me must try! Malt whisky has never been something I have liked but seriously love this one, as much as I agree with what she said the flavour is really something else which I would never have expected from a malt. As I await more stock I would not hesitate to give this 5 stars, hope this has gone through as I use high contrast.. Thoroughly recommended for those who like something a little different and the boxed presentation is absolutely something special if you like something to show off! Just serve with ice for a beautiful taste/
A light, fresh and fizzy malt with a very subtle nose of floral Turkish delight & custard powder. Bit more spice & champagne like fizz on the mouthfeel, vanilla Bon bons, toasted marshmallow & a dusting of icing sugar over Apple slices and a touch of popping candy on the finish. This feels more like a young single grain whisky from Scotland than a 10 yo malt. By no means a disaster and would make a nice summery aperitif whisky. The Whisky Flaneur
This is light, clean, and reminds me of a young Lowlander - subtle fruity hints and a vanilla-esque finish, which doesn't linger. It's pleasant enough, but probably because of it's tender age, it doesn't make much of an impression. More or less what I would have expected from a Canadian single malt. Not amazing, but not unpleasant - like other Canadian exports - Joni Mitchell, Bryan Adams, Alanis Morrissette - but definitely no Leonard Cohen
As a Cape Bretoner of Highland Scottish descent, I had high hopes for Glenora Distillery's single malt whisky. After buying an overpriced bottle of the "Glen Breton Rare," my hopes were dashed. I consoled myself with something wonderful--a nice 15 year old Dalwhinnie single malt Scotch, as I recall. Glen Breton is pale, and its nose is not unlike a much cheaper blend. No legs to speak of, and an initial taste like a typical blend: "like bad medicine," as the rock band Bon Jovi sings. The finish was uninspiring. Nothing about this whisky did what I'd hoped; I'd hoped for a drink that would like "New Scotland" (Nova Scotia) with Scotland of old. Glen Breton is at best an expensive novelty drink. It's beautifully cased, and would make a wonderful ornament in an executive's office. To drink it, however, requires one to close his/her eyes and think of England (not something I want to do when drink whisky). I am from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (New Scotland). I speak a wee bit of Gaelic, and feel strong kinship to the pre-Culloden Highlands. However, even a single malt with "Glen" in it's title was not enough to bring me to its side. What a shame! My only hope is that Glenora Distillery has some aging somewhere so they can release a 15 or 18 year old that might just have found its legs. Slainte!
