Glenburgie 24 Years Old 1995 Cask #6347

This Glenburgie comes from Gordon and MacPhail, the Elgin grocer laying down casks on South Street since 1895, a 24 year old, distilled in 1995, from cask 6347, at 56.7%, one of 543 bottles. Glenburgie is a fragrant Speyside malt, a core flavour of Ballantine's for decades. The old distillery was demolished and rebuilt in 2004, only the little stone office left standing. Most of its make goes quietly to blends; single malt Glenburgie is rare, and largely from independents.

It was distilled in tall onion shaped pot stills, giving a fragrant, orchard led Speyside spirit. It was finished in an Oloroso cask, the wood building on the light, fruity spirit. Through the evaporative decades the esters fold into mango, beeswax and a waxy honey. First fill wood drives the maturation, the cask clear in the spirit. Long ageing turns the fresh apple towards beeswax, tropical fruit and a gentle spice.

Bottled at a cask strength 56.7%, it is concentrated. Pear, honey and a creamy oak, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Pear, grass and a creamy oak fill the middle. Green apple, honey and a soft oak see it out. This is a light, fruity Speyside single malt.