Glenburgie 21 Years Old 1997 Cask #DL 12572

This Glenburgie was bottled by Douglas Laing, a 21 year old, distilled in 1997, from cask DL 12572, at 51.5%, one of 607 bottles. Glenburgie is a Speyside single malt, owned by Chivas Brothers and one of the larger Speyside distilleries. The old distillery was demolished and rebuilt in 2004, only the little stone office left standing. Its water is drawn from a local spring near the distillery.

Drawn from a long fermentation, building a light malt of orchard fruit and fresh grass. It was matured in an Oloroso cask, the wood working into the fruity malt. Into oxidative maturity, slow air builds ripe esters of apple and a light tropical note over a waxy depth. Long ageing turns the fresh apple towards beeswax, tropical fruit and a gentle spice. Built for the blender's art, the make ages with quiet grace as a single malt. A soft waxiness from the spirit carries a thread through the maturation.

At 51.5%, undiluted, it is rich and waxy. A delicate, soft malt with a waxy edge, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Pear, grass and a creamy oak fill the middle. A fresh finish closes on apple and a soft oak. This is a light, fruity Speyside single malt.