Glenburgie 18 Years Old 1995 Cask #6447 + 48 (Signatory)

This Glenburgie was bottled by Signatory Vintage, an 18 year old, distilled in 1995, from cask 6447 + 48, at 43%, one of 894 bottles. Glenburgie is a Speyside single malt made near Alves in Moray, east of Forres. It was rebuilt in 1881 by Charles Chree Doig, the architect behind so many Speyside stillhouses.

It was distilled from unpeated malt, for a soft, fruity spirit with a waxy thread. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the fresh, fruity character to the fore. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the apple and pear turning to a waxy honey and soft tropical fruit. Years in oak deepen the spirit to old gold, the body growing rounder and waxier with time. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the Speyside spirit. First fill wood drives the maturation, the cask clear in the spirit. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit.

At 43% it is bright, waxy and soft. Apple, pear and fresh cut grass, with a gentle oak sweetness. Pear, grass and a creamy oak fill the middle. The close is light and clean, fruit over a gentle oak. This is a fragrant Speyside single malt of real lightness.