Glen Spey 16 Years Old 2001 (Authentic Collection) (55.6%)

This Glen Spey was bottled by Cadenhead, a 16 year old, distilled in 2001, at 55.6%, one of 294 bottles. Glen Spey is a Speyside single malt from Rothes, founded in 1878 as the Mill of Rothes. It sits below the ruins of Castle Rothes, once the seat of the Earls of Rothes.

Worked unhurried through the stillhouse, building a light, fragrant spirit with a thread of nuttiness. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the light, nutty character to the fore. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the green grass turning to a nutty honey and soft tropical fruit. Years in oak round the spirit, the fresh notes deepening towards a nutty honey and orchard fruit. Because the purifiers keep the spirit light, the cask shows clearly through the years. Maturation in the racked warehouses is slow and even, the Speyside air cool and steady. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the delicate Speyside spirit.

At its natural 55.6% it is rich and grassy. Green apple, hay and a soft cereal, over a gentle, creamy oak. Beneath it run fresh grass, light fruit and a nutty malt. A long, grassy finish carries a light fruit and a nutty malt. This is a light, grassy Speyside single malt.