Glen Spey 12 Years Old 2009 Cask #GS922S (Hidden Spirits)

A 12 year old Glen Spey from Hidden Spirits, distilled in 2009, from cask GS922S, at 53.9%, one of 259 bottles. Glen Spey is a delicate, grassy Speyside single malt, light and clean in the glass. The distillery is said to be watched over by the ghost of a soldier who died on the site.

The spirit was run slowly off the four copper stills, building a light, fragrant spirit with a thread of nuttiness. Maturation came in an Oloroso cask, layered over the fresh Glen Spey make. Through integration the spirit and wood marry, vanillin rounding out as esters lend a riper orchard fruit over the nutty malt. Years in oak round the spirit, the fresh notes deepening towards a nutty honey and orchard fruit. Built for the blender's art, the light make ages with quiet grace as a single malt. Maturation in the racked warehouses is slow and even, the Speyside air cool and steady.

At a hearty 53.9% it carries real weight. Fresh grass, pear and a creamy almond, 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, grass over a gentle oak. This is a quiet, characterful Speyside single malt.