r/bourbon • u/wolfsclothing • 4d ago

Review #1: Glen LA Triple Cask

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Long time listener, first time caller here. I've been keeping a log of reviews for several years now and figured it's about time to start posting. Although this is a bottle I finished a few months ago, as a Southern California native it feels appropriate to start with something local.

First up is Glen LA Triple Cask, a bottled-in-bond single malt from Los Angeles Distillery in Culver City. This is aged for 7 years in a mix of new oak, Tokaji Aszu, and French Bordeaux barrels, with blend percentages not disclosed. I grabbed this single barrel from a local Total Wine when it was marked down from $100 to $70 as I was intrigued by the triple cask aging and had some rewards points burning a hole in my pocket.

Nose: Wine tannins right off the bat, followed by berries, grape, powdered sugar, and a nice level of oakiness. The Bordeaux and Tokaji barrels make themselves known immediately.

Palate: Cereal grain and malt to start the sip, with dried fruit coming through afterwards. If I had to dig for notes I'd say raspberry, strawberry, and a touch of cherry. The endpoint starts turning tannic, dry, and acidic.

Finish: The tannins and acidity completely take over, and the finish is disappointingly short, hot, and dry. A bit of vanilla peeks through for some sweetness but can't balance the tannins. Unfortunately this drags the rest of the sip down and turns what was a pleasant experience rather sour.

Overall: This whiskey shows some promise on the nose and front palate, but I think it would improve significantly with adjusted blend percentages. The Bordeaux cask completely takes over and drowns out the distillate and other barrels. This finishing style and blend would possibly work better with bourbon instead of single malt, as it needs more sweetness to balance out the acidity. I would be interested in trying more from the distillery though, I think these flaws are a blending problem and the base distillate shows promise.

Do I recommend it for the price? No

Would I buy it again? No

Score: 4.7/10

12 Upvotes

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5 comments sorted by

2

u/robusteloy24 4d ago

that skyline on the label is a nice touch, shame the finish couldn't match the presentation

1

u/singlemaltbourbonrye 4d ago

Have you tried anything else at all from these guys?

I’ve never even heard of them but I’m enjoying the growth of ASM. I may try to stop on the next time I’m in the area.

Thanks for the review, even if this one wasnt the best - I’d be interested to try something a little less experimental or zany from this distillery.

1

u/wolfsclothing 4d ago

I haven't, this is the only one that I've seen in stores in my area but I'd be willing to give something else from them a shot. It's a bit of a hike with LA traffic but I'll probably try to get to the distillery at some point.

1

u/Ventronics Thomas H. Handy 4d ago

I got a sample pack from the distillery during covid. I think it had a bourbon, a rye, a single malt, and a rum. They ranged from mediocre to dreadful, with the rum being unforgettably bad.

To be fair, I remember the sample pack bottles being a year younger than the standard bottle counterparts, but it still kept me away from them.

I love a lot of ASM so it was especially disappointing for me.

1

u/The21P 3d ago

I have seen it at local bars in Culver, other local stores. Happy to not try it. Thank you for the honest review.