Glenburgie Batch 3 (TBWC)

This Glenburgie was bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company, an 18 year old, at 50.3%, one of 120 bottles. Glenburgie is a fragrant Speyside malt, a core flavour of Ballantine's for decades. It was expanded to six stills after the rebuild, one of the bigger distilleries in the group. Its make has long fed big blends like Old Smuggler down the decades. It sits near Alves in Moray, east of Forres, in the heart of Speyside.

Drawn from a long fermentation, giving a fragrant, orchard led Speyside spirit. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak gentle behind the spirit. Into oxidative maturity, slow air builds ripe esters of apple and a light tropical note over a waxy depth. First fill wood drives the maturation, the cask clear in the spirit. Maturation runs slow and even in the cool Speyside warehouses. Built for the blender's art, the make ages with quiet grace as a single malt.

At 50.3%, undiluted, it is rich and waxy. Baked apple, grass and a light honey, lifted by a soft oak. Pear, grass and a creamy oak fill the middle. The finish is rounded, fruity and clean. This is a fresh, fruity Speyside single malt.