Glenesk 26 Years Old 1981 Cask #933 (Duncan Taylor)

Duncan Taylor, the cask house from Huntly in Aberdeenshire, bottled this Glenesk, distilled in 1981, from cask 933, at 56.9%, one of 308 bottles. Glenesk is a lost Highland single malt, its distillery on the Angus coast long since demolished. It passed to DCL in 1954 and to Scottish Malt Distillers in 1964, ending its days within Diageo. It ran under five names in its life, from Highland Esk to North Esk, Montrose, Hillside and at last Glenesk.

Distilled from unpeated malt, giving a gentle, honeyed Highland spirit. It was matured in an Oloroso cask, the wood working into the fruity malt. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend structure while oxidation builds a richer tropical fruit over beeswax. Years in oak deepened the spirit to gold, the body growing rounder with time. Maturation ran slow and even in the old bonded warehouses on the coast at Montrose.

At a natural 56.9% it is full and creamy. Pear, barley and a soft oak, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The mouthfeel is light and waxy, carrying the malt. Barley, apple and a soft oak see it out. This is a rare malt from a closed Highland distillery.