Glenburgie 31 Years Old 1967 Cask #11158 (Signatory)

A 31 year old Glenburgie from Signatory Vintage, distilled in 1967, from cask 11158, at 56.6%, one of 150 bottles. Glenburgie is a fragrant Speyside malt, a core flavour of Ballantine's for decades. It sits near Alves in Moray, east of Forres, in the heart of Speyside. It was rebuilt in 1881 by Charles Chree Doig, the architect behind so many Speyside stillhouses. It has belonged to Chivas Brothers, part of Pernod Ricard, since 2005. Most of its make goes quietly to blends; single malt Glenburgie is rare, and largely from independents.

Run slowly off the spirit still, shaping a fine, clean malt with a floral lift. An Oloroso cask held it, drawing the light spirit on over the years. Ethereal and fragile, the decades draw it to a honeyed, waxy delicacy of tropical fruit and old oak. Long ageing turns the fresh apple towards beeswax, tropical fruit and a gentle spice. Maturation runs slow and even in the cool Speyside warehouses.

At its natural 56.6% it is full and fruity. Apple, pear and a soft honey, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The body is light and clean, the fruit lifted by a soft oak. A fresh finish closes on apple and a soft oak. This is a light, waxy Speyside single malt.