Glenrothes 13 Years Old 2011 Cask #2310068 (Murray McDavid)

Murray McDavid was founded in 1995 by Mark Reynier and Gordon Wright, becoming one of the most recognisable independent bottlers of the late 1990s before changing ownership and rebuilding under Aceo Ltd from 2013 onward. The Benchmark range represents the firm's current main production tier, presenting single casks at natural strength with the firm's signature finishing programme. This Glenrothes 13 Years Old, distilled in 2011 and bottled in 2024 at 58.2% from a single Pedro Ximenez cask, runs to 94 bottles for Germany.

Thirteen years sits in the productive midpoint for sherry maturation, allowing the residual Pedro Ximenez sherry to penetrate fully while European oak's slow tannin and lignin breakdown contribute steadily. PX is the heaviest of the sweet sherries, concentrated through partial sun drying of the grapes; the residual sugar load transfers densely to the spirit. A small outturn of 94 bottles suggests either a smaller hogshead format rather than a full butt, or significant angel's share loss across the maturation.

The nose carries fig, date and raisin syrup with polished oak threading underneath, the cask's residual sherry signature pushed forward. The palate deepens through chocolate orange, cocoa nib and Demerara sugar, the 58.2% strength delivering the cask's weight without astringency. The finish is long and dense, the PX residual sweetness giving way to a tannic close from sustained European oak contact.