Glen Spey 21 Years Old JM Fine Malt Selection (James MacArthur)

A 21 year old Glen Spey from James MacArthur, at 55.4%. Glen Spey is a Speyside single malt, owned by the London gin house Gilbey from 1887. Its stills were doubled from two to four in the 1970 expansion, the make still light and grassy. Its stills carry purifiers, which raise the reflux and return the heavier vapours for a lighter, cleaner spirit. It sits below the ruins of Castle Rothes, once the seat of the Earls of Rothes.

It was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, building a light, fragrant spirit with a thread of nuttiness. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the gentle American oak letting the spirit lead. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a gentle, drying grip across the malt. A light oiliness carries a waxy thread through the long, slow maturation. 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. Fresh cut grass, green apple and a nutty malt, over a gentle, creamy oak. The mouthfeel is light, a faint waxiness carrying the fruit. The finish is rounded, nutty and clean. This is a light, nutty Speyside single malt.