Glenburgie 14 Years Old 1997 Cask #1926 + 27 (Signatory)

This Glenburgie was bottled by Signatory Vintage, a 14 year old, distilled in 1997, from cask 1926 + 27, at 43%, one of 839 bottles. Glenburgie is a fragrant Speyside malt, a core flavour of Ballantine's for decades. It was expanded to six stills after the rebuild, one of the bigger distilleries in the group. It was founded in 1810 as Kilnflat by William Paul, taking the Glenburgie name in 1878. Its water is drawn from a local spring near the distillery.

Distilled from unpeated malt, shaping a fine, clean malt with a floral lift. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak gentle behind the spirit. In integration coconut and vanilla knit with the malt, the apple softening towards a waxy honey. A soft waxiness from the spirit carries a thread through the maturation. First fill wood drives the maturation, the cask clear in the spirit. The spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out a soft beeswax.

Reduced to 43%, it is mellow and fragrant. Green apple, citrus and a waxy note, with a gentle oak sweetness. The mouthfeel is light, a faint waxiness carrying the fruit. The finish runs delicate, fruity and waxy. This is a fruity Speyside malt rarely seen on its own.