Glenrothes 24 Years Old 1996 DRAM4ALS (Liquid Art)

DRAM4ALS is a charity bottling programme raising funds for ALS research, with proceeds from each release directed to motor neurone disease support. Liquid Art operates as the bottling partner for this edition, presenting whiskies under the dedicated DRAM4ALS labelling. This Glenrothes 24 Years Old, distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2020 at 50.9%, was vatted from refill bourbon casks across 150 bottles for the event market.

Twenty four years in refill bourbon casks produces a profile fundamentally led by distillery character. The cask's first fill activity exhausted under previous tenancy, the wood contributes through accumulated secondary chemistry: lignin's slow breakdown delivers syringaldehyde and vanillin at attenuated levels, lactones produce coconut and creamy oak through cumulative contact, and ellagitannins build structure gradually. The 50.9% strength reflects long evaporation across the casks, with vatting smoothing individual variation.

On the nose, honeyed barley sits with vanilla pod, fresh apple and a faint coconut lift. The palate moves through cooked pear, lemon curd and a clean toasted oak undertone, with 50.9% strength delivering distillery character without harshness. A faint white peach lift threads through mid palate. The finish is long and softly drying, the cask's diminished tannin signature giving the spirit's preserved Speyside fruit clear room to express.