Glen Spey 11 Years Old 2013 Cask #373070 (James Eadie)

An 11 year old Glen Spey from James Eadie, distilled in 2013, from cask 373070, at 57.7%, one of 221 bottles. Glen Spey is a Speyside single malt, one of five distilleries in the town of Rothes. Its water is the Doonie Burn, a source it shares with its Rothes neighbours.

Run slowly off the four copper stills, building a light, fragrant spirit with a thread of nuttiness. Finished in an Oloroso cask, the wood building on the light spirit. In integration coconut and vanilla knit with the malt, the hay softening towards a nutty honey. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. Long ageing turns the green, herbal edge towards orchard fruit, honey and a gentle spice. Because the purifiers keep the spirit light, the cask shows clearly through the years. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the delicate Speyside spirit.

At a natural 57.7% it is full and nutty. A clean, grassy sweetness with a nutty thread, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A light orchard fruit and a soft oak give it shape. The finish is light, grassy and clean. This is a grassy Speyside malt of real delicacy.