Glenrothes 31 Years Old 1992 Inspiring Friends 4.5 (Michiel Wigman)

Michiel Wigman bottles Scotch as private releases under the Inspiring Friends banner, each numbered as a release within the personal series rather than a commercial range. The 4.5 designation marks the fifth release in the fourth series. This Glenrothes 31 Years Old, distilled in 1992 and bottled in 2023 at 50.7%, is a 148 bottle vatting of multiple refill bourbon casks released into the Netherlands.

Thirty one years of refill bourbon ageing creates a fundamentally distillery led profile. The cask's first fill activity completed in its previous tenancy, the wood now contributes incrementally rather than dominantly, allowing the spirit's natural ester chemistry from Glenrothes' tall stills to drive the profile. Natural ABV reduction down to 50.7% reflects the long evaporation window, with the alcohol fraction giving way slowly over three decades. Vatting multiple casks at similar age smooths individual cask variation while preserving the soft refill bourbon signature.

On the nose, honeyed barley and beeswax sit over fresh apple, with a faint white peach lift. The palate moves through pear, lemon curd and a clean vanilla pod note, the 50.7% strength giving the spirit room without harshness. The finish is long and softly drying, the diminished oak tannin leaving the spirit's preserved Speyside fruit clearly at the front.