Glenburgie 23 Years Old 1995 Cask #6540 (Signatory)

Signatory Vintage bottled this Glenburgie, a 23 year old, distilled in 1995, from cask 6540, at 56.1%, one of 254 bottles. Glenburgie is a Speyside single malt made near Alves in Moray, east of Forres. The old distillery was demolished and rebuilt in 2004, only the little stone office left standing. It was founded in 1810 as Kilnflat by William Paul, taking the Glenburgie name in 1878.

The spirit was run slowly off the spirit still, shaping a fine, clean malt with a floral lift. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending a creamy vanilla. In the oxidative, evaporative years the spirit concentrates to tropical fruit, honey and a waxy, candle wax depth. Long ageing turns the fresh apple towards beeswax, tropical fruit and a gentle spice. First fill wood drives the maturation, the cask clear in the spirit. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the Speyside spirit.

At a hearty 56.1% it carries real weight. Pear, honey and a creamy oak, with a gentle oak sweetness. A light orchard fruit and a soft spice give it shape. The finish is rounded, fruity and clean. This is a fruity Speyside malt rarely seen on its own.