Glenglassaugh 2011 Rare Cask Release 10 Year Single Cask Highland Single Malt Scotch

The distillery slept for nearly 20 years. This cask was filled three years after it woke up.

Glenglassaugh sits on the north-east coast of Scotland, between the villages of Sandend and Portsoy. It was founded in 1875, went quiet more than once, and stopped production in 1986. Only the warehouses kept going. New owners restarted the stills in December 2008, after what Glenglassaugh calls "a near twenty year period of closure."

This whisky was distilled on 1 March 2011, in the revived distillery's third year. It spent the next 10 years in one Pedro Ximénez butt, cask No. 4789. A butt is a big cask, around 500 litres, and Pedro Ximénez is the darkest, sweetest style of sherry. That's where the deep copper color and the raisin notes come from.

It's a single cask, so every bottle came out of that one butt, with nothing blended in. It's also cask strength: bottled at 56% ABV (112 proof), the strength it came out of the wood. Master Blender Rachel Barrie selected the cask and signed the label.

At 112 proof, start with a small pour and add water a few drops at a time. The sherry gets louder as it opens.

Tasting Notes

• Color: deep copper-gold
• Nose: raisin, coconut and grape vines by the sea, then baked pineapple, Brazil nut toffee and iced café latte
• Palate: toffee meringue and sun-dried raisin with cinnamon-spiced espresso

Bottle Specifications

• Category: Highland single malt Scotch whisky, single cask
• Age: 10 years (distilled 1 March 2011, bottled 2021)
• Cask: Pedro Ximénez sherry butt, cask No. 4789
• Proof / ABV: 112 proof / 56.0%
• Distillery: Glenglassaugh, Portsoy, Scotland
• Bottle size: 750ml

Poured by Scotch-of-the-Month Club Explorer members in May 2026.

FAQ

What does single cask mean?
Every bottle came from one cask. Most whisky is a mix of many casks, averaged out to taste the same every year. A single cask can't be repeated, so when it's gone, that exact whisky is gone.

What is a Pedro Ximénez butt?
A large cask, around 500 litres, that held Pedro Ximénez sherry before it held whisky. PX is a very sweet, dark sherry made from sun-dried grapes, and it leaves raisin, toffee and dark fruit in the whisky.

Why does the label mention another retailer?
Rachel Barrie selected this cask for a US retailer's single-cask program, and the label says so. We picked it up through our distributor for the club.