Glenburgie 23 Years Old 1995 Cask #6541 (Signatory)

A Glenburgie of a 23 year old chosen by Signatory Vintage, distilled in 1995, from cask 6541, at 53.2%, one of 243 bottles. Glenburgie is a Speyside single malt, long the fruity heart of the Ballantine's blend. It was expanded to six stills after the rebuild, one of the bigger distilleries in the group. It was rebuilt in 1881 by Charles Chree Doig, the architect behind so many Speyside stillhouses. Its make has long fed big blends like Old Smuggler down the decades. It has belonged to Chivas Brothers, part of Pernod Ricard, since 2005.

Distilled from unpeated malt, for a light body with a gentle, waxy edge. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the fruit. Through the evaporative decades the esters fold into mango, beeswax and a waxy honey. Years in oak deepen the spirit to old gold, the body growing rounder and waxier with time.

At a hearty 53.2% it carries real weight. Pear, floral notes and a soft, waxy sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The body is light and clean, the fruit lifted by a soft oak. It finishes light, fresh and faintly waxy. This is a fragrant Speyside single malt of real lightness.