Glen Spey 26 Years Old 1988 (Liquid Sun)

Liquid Sun bottled this Glen Spey, a 26 year old, distilled in 1988, at 41.1%. Glen Spey is a Speyside single malt, long a quiet backbone of the J and B blend. Its stills were doubled from two to four in the 1970 expansion, the make still light and grassy. It was founded in 1878 by the grain merchant James Stuart, who added stills to an old oatmeal mill. The distillery is said to be watched over by the ghost of a soldier who died on the site.

It was taken gently through wash and spirit stills, shaping a light body with a soft, waxy edge. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanillin lending vanilla under the light fruit. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend structure while oxidation builds a richer, tropical fruit over beeswax. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the delicate Speyside spirit. Because the purifiers keep the spirit light, the cask shows clearly through the years.

At 41.1% it is smooth and grassy. Fresh grass, pear and a creamy almond, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft meadow grass and a nutty malt sit behind the cask. The close is light and clean, grass over a gentle oak. This is a fresh, fragrant Speyside single malt.