Glen Spey 15 Years Old 1999 The First Editions (Edition Spirits)

Edition Spirits bottled this Glen Spey, a 15 year old, distilled in 1999, at 54.9%, one of 290 bottles. Glen Spey is a Speyside single malt, one of five distilleries in the town of Rothes. It was bottled as a single malt in Diageo's Flora and Fauna range in 2001, one of its rare official outings. James Stuart held the licence to Macallan at the time, and bought that distillery outright in 1886.

The spirit was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, the purifiers paring it back to a light, grassy core. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the fresh spirit. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a gentle, drying grip across the malt. Long ageing turns the green, herbal edge towards orchard fruit, honey and a gentle spice. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the delicate Speyside spirit.

At a hearty 54.9% it carries real weight. Pear, cereal and a green, grassy lift, lifted by a soft oak. It is grassy and gently nutty, the delicate spirit shining through. The finish runs delicate, grassy and dry. This is the delicate, grassy malt of Rothes.