Glencraig 1974 (Duncan Taylor) (Cask 2929)

A Glencraig of a 34 year old chosen by Duncan Taylor, distilled in 1974, from cask 2929, at 40.8%, one of 215 bottles. Glenburgie is a Speyside single malt, this a richer, weightier spirit than the usual. It sits near Alves in Moray, east of Forres, in the heart of Speyside. Its water is drawn from a local spring near the distillery. It was expanded to six stills after the rebuild, one of the bigger distilleries in the group.

The spirit was distilled on the plated rectifying stills, for a fuller, oilier make with real weight. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak gentle behind the spirit. At a great, fragile age oxidation rules, sotolon lending honey and dried fig as beeswax and a waxy note linger. Built for the blender's art, the make ages with quiet grace as a single malt. The spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out a soft beeswax. Active wood frames the fruit without ever crowding the Speyside spirit.

At 40.8%, undiluted, it is rich and waxy. Apple, wax and a deeper honey, lifted by a soft oak. The mouthfeel is full and oily, the wax carrying the fruit. It finishes full, oily and waxy. This is a deep, oily Speyside single malt.