Origins and Backstory: Bred by a grower known as Joesy Wales, Gorilla Glue #4 is a clone-only cultivar named after its extreme stickiness. It is unclear to me whether the strain is a cross of Chem Sis x Sour Dubb, or if it is a three-way cross of Chem Sis, Sour Dubb, and Chocolate Diesel. However, it is basically the accidental product of home-growing from a group in the northwest. It has become famous with extreme quickness.
Appearance: Extremely resinous, GG4 is known for its near-white appearance that makes it so appealing. It occasionally shoots out stacking towers of calyxes on top of the buds in a trademark sort of way. GG4 is as frosty as could be, and is very visually pleasing.
Aroma: Gorilla Glue 4 in my garden came out to be sour, chemmy, with notes of chocolate, diesel fuel, and lemons. A jar reminds me of a well-done Mexican mole sauce, and chocolate biscotti. It is hashy, spicy, sweet, sour like milk gone bad, a bit acrid, with heavy notes of chocolate. It is a bit musty, reminding me of old basement and carpeting.
Flavor: It tastes almost exactly as it smells. It is sweet, sour, chem-like, with some background notes of chocolate. When smoked, the flavor seems to lose a bit of its complexity, with the Mexican mole spice not really noticeable. It still retains multiple dimensions of flavor though, and is an enjoyable sweet and sour smoke. The chocolate isn't overwhelming, and it would be interesting to see Gorilla Glue selected for chocolate scent. I really love the chocolate in the aroma of the Glue, and would love to see some breeding done to highlight that trait.
Effects: Coming on immediately, Gorilla Glue is good day smoke for veterans. It is mostly in the head, and is somewhat inspiring actually. It can be a bit nervous but is mostly relaxed, fun, easygoing, pleasant, and fairly functional. It is potent enough to be satisfying smoke and is not overwhelming. It feels great on a summer day, and is good herb for relaxing outside in a hammock or on the beach. You could even get active and hike around, surf, etc. but I would prefer a haze or more sativa-dominant plant for more active endeavors. Very enjoyable, mildly creative, and motivating. This flower makes me want to move a bit and get things done, and then makes relaxing easy when it's all over. Those who associate extreme frost with potency will be disappointed though, as a Chemdog or OG variety will hit harder than this plant every day of the year.
Overall Experience: Gorilla Glue #4 has a lot of hype behind it, and it is clearly a commercial strain. It appears to be absolutely covered and dominated by resin, and has an attractively offensive and unique scent that catches attention. Coupled with high yields, it is no wonder why this variety has made its way around growing circles so quickly. However, I do not find it to be exceptional connoisseur smoke. I like the flavor, and the effects are enjoyable. However, there is nothing spectacular or unique about the effects in any way. If you're growing this strain, it is probably for the excellent bag appeal and decent character of effect. Great commercial strain and is sure to wow your friends with resin, but Gorilla Glue is not a game-changing mind-dazzler.