Glenburgie 30 Years Old 1954 (G&M)

A 30 year old Glenburgie from Gordon and MacPhail, distilled in 1954, at 40%. Glenburgie is a Speyside single malt, long the fruity heart of the Ballantine's blend. Its make has long fed big blends like Old Smuggler down the decades. It was expanded to six stills after the rebuild, one of the bigger distilleries in the group.

Worked unhurried through the stillhouse, for a soft, fruity spirit with a waxy thread. A bourbon barrel held it, the wood adding a soft honey over the orchard fruit. In its ethereal years the malt turns waxy and oxidative, faded esters and a whisper of sotolon. The spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out a soft beeswax. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the Speyside spirit. Years in oak deepen the spirit to old gold, the body growing rounder and waxier with time.

Reduced to 40%, it is mellow and fragrant. Apple, pear and fresh cut grass, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Pear, grass and a creamy oak fill the middle. A long, fruity finish carries a waxy honey. This is a Speyside single malt of real lightness.