Glen Spey 16 Years Old 2001 (Authentic Collection)

Cadenhead, Scotland's oldest independent bottler, founded in Aberdeen in 1842 and now keeping house in Campbeltown, bottled this Glen Spey, distilled in 2001, at 55.4%, one of 282 bottles. Glen Spey is a Speyside single malt from Rothes, founded in 1878 as the Mill of Rothes. It is one of five distilleries in the whisky town of Rothes, in the heart of Speyside. It sits below the ruins of Castle Rothes, once the seat of the Earls of Rothes.

It was distilled from unpeated malt, building a light, fragrant spirit with a thread of nuttiness. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and a hint of coconut from the lactones. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a gentle, drying grip across the malt. 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.

Bottled at a cask strength 55.4%, it is concentrated. Green apple, hay and a soft cereal, lifted by a soft oak. It is grassy and gently nutty, the delicate spirit shining through. It finishes light, fresh and faintly nutty. This is a fresh, fragrant Speyside single malt.