Glen Spey 16 Years Old 2001 (Small Batch)

Cadenhead bottled this Glen Spey, a 16 year old, distilled in 2001, at 54%, one of 858 bottles. Glen Spey is a Speyside single malt from Rothes, founded in 1878 as the Mill of Rothes. Its stills were doubled from two to four in the 1970 expansion, the make still light and grassy.

It was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, the purifiers paring it back to a light, grassy core. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the gentle American oak letting the spirit lead. Into oxidative maturity, slow air builds fruity esters of apple and a light tropical note over a nutty depth. Built for the blender's art, the light make ages with quiet grace as a single malt. A light oiliness carries a waxy thread through the long, slow maturation. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the delicate Speyside spirit.

At its natural 54% it is rich and grassy. A clean, grassy sweetness with a nutty thread, with a light oak sweetness. It is grassy and gently nutty, the delicate spirit shining through. The finish is rounded, nutty and clean. This is the delicate, grassy malt of Rothes.