Glenburgie 10 Years Old 2011 Cask #GD-GB 11 (GreatDrams)

This Glenburgie was bottled by GreatDrams, a 10 year old, distilled in 2011, from cask GD-GB-11, at 50.2%. Glenburgie is a fragrant Speyside malt, a core flavour of Ballantine's for decades. Its make has long fed big blends like Old Smuggler down the decades.

The spirit was drawn from a long fermentation, building a light malt of orchard fruit and fresh grass. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the fruit. By the integrating teens the raw notes fade and esters build, the fruity spirit growing rounder and a touch waxy. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the Speyside spirit. Years in oak deepen the spirit to old gold, the body growing rounder and waxier with time. Built for the blender's art, the make ages with quiet grace as a single malt. Maturation runs slow and even in the cool Speyside warehouses. The spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out a soft beeswax.

At a natural 50.2% it is full and waxy. Pear, floral notes and a soft, waxy sweetness, with a gentle oak sweetness. Pear, grass and a creamy oak fill the middle. A fresh finish closes on apple and a soft oak. This is a Speyside single malt of real lightness.