Glenburgie 33 Years Old 1989 Cask #14143

This Glenburgie comes from Gordon and MacPhail, the Elgin grocer laying down casks on South Street since 1895, a 33 year old, distilled in 1989, from cask 14143, at 56.9%, one of 219 bottles. Glenburgie is a Speyside single malt, a blending malt rarely seen on its own and largely the work of independents. It sits near Alves in Moray, east of Forres, in the heart of Speyside. It was founded in 1810 as Kilnflat by William Paul, taking the Glenburgie name in 1878.

The spirit was distilled in tall onion shaped pot stills, for a light body with a gentle, waxy edge. 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. A soft waxiness from the spirit carries a thread through the maturation.

At a hearty 56.9% it carries real weight. Apple, pear and fresh cut grass, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath it run baked apple, a light citrus and a soft honey. The finish is light, fruity and clean. This is a fragrant Speyside single malt of real lightness.