Glenburgie 25 Years Old 1992 (Cadenhead’s)

A 25 year old Glenburgie from Cadenhead, distilled in 1992, at 53.7%, one of 228 bottles. Glenburgie is a Speyside single malt, owned by Chivas Brothers and one of the larger Speyside distilleries. It was rebuilt in 1881 by Charles Chree Doig, the architect behind so many Speyside stillhouses. It was expanded to six stills after the rebuild, one of the bigger distilleries in the group.

It was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, for a light body with a gentle, waxy edge. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanillin and a soft coconut under the malt. In the oxidative, evaporative years the spirit concentrates to tropical fruit, honey and a waxy, candle wax depth. A soft waxiness from the spirit carries a thread through the maturation. Years in oak deepen the spirit to old gold, the body growing rounder and waxier with time. Built for the blender's art, the make ages with quiet grace as a single malt.

Bottled at a cask strength 53.7%, it is concentrated. Apple, pear and fresh cut grass, over a gentle, creamy oak. Pear, grass and a creamy oak fill the middle. A long, fruity finish carries a waxy honey. This is a fragrant Speyside single malt of real lightness.