Glenburgie 21 Years Old (Oloroso Cask)

This Glenburgie comes from Gordon and MacPhail, the Elgin grocer laying down casks on South Street since 1895, a 21 year old, at 43%. Glenburgie is a fragrant Speyside malt, a core flavour of Ballantine's for decades. Its make has long fed big blends like Old Smuggler down the decades. Most of its make goes quietly to blends; single malt Glenburgie is rare, and largely from independents.

Run slowly off the spirit still, building a light malt of orchard fruit and fresh grass. Maturation came in an Oloroso cask, layered over the fresh Glenburgie make. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the apple and pear turning to a waxy honey and soft tropical fruit. Years in oak deepen the spirit to old gold, the body growing rounder and waxier with time. First fill wood drives the maturation, the cask clear in the spirit. Maturation runs slow and even in the cool Speyside warehouses.

At 43% it is smooth and fruity. A soft, orchard led sweetness with a floral lift, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The mouthfeel is light, a faint waxiness carrying the fruit. The close is light and clean, fruit over a gentle oak. This is a light, fruity Speyside single malt.