Glenburgie 15 Years Old 1999 Cask #1143 (C&S)

A Glenburgie of a 15 year old chosen by CandS Dram Collection, distilled in 1999, from cask 1143, at 51.5%, one of 252 bottles. Glenburgie is a fragrant Speyside malt, a core flavour of Ballantine's for decades. It sits near Alves in Moray, east of Forres, in the heart of Speyside. It was expanded to six stills after the rebuild, one of the bigger distilleries in the group.

The spirit was distilled in tall onion shaped pot stills, for a soft, fruity spirit with a waxy thread. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak gentle behind the spirit. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a gentle, drying grip across the fruit. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the Speyside spirit. A soft waxiness from the spirit carries a thread through the maturation. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit.

Bottled at a cask strength 51.5%, it is concentrated. Apple, pear and a soft honey, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Pear, grass and a creamy oak fill the middle. The close is light and clean, fruit over a gentle oak. This is a Speyside single malt of real lightness.