Glen Spey 13 Years Old 2008 Cask #801891 (Pendulum Spirits Ltd)

Pendulum Spirits bottled this Glen Spey, a 13 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 801891, at 56.8%, one of 284 bottles. Glen Spey is a Speyside single malt, one of five distilleries in the town of Rothes. It sits below the ruins of Castle Rothes, once the seat of the Earls of Rothes. It passed to the London gin house W and A Gilbey in 1887, the first English firm to own a Scottish distillery. When the firm merged with Justerini and Brooks, Glen Spey became a key malt in the J and B blend.

The spirit was distilled in tall onion shaped stills, building a light, fragrant spirit with a thread of nuttiness. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the light, nutty character to the fore. By the integrating teens the raw notes fade and esters build, the grassy spirit growing rounder and a touch waxy. Because the purifiers keep the spirit light, the cask shows clearly through the years.

At 56.8%, undiluted, it is deep and waxy. Pear, cereal and a green, grassy lift, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A green apple and a gentle spice lift the middle. It finishes light, fresh and faintly nutty. This is a fresh, fragrant Speyside single malt.