Speyburn 16 Years Old 2007 Cask #HL 20665 (Edition Spirits)

Single malt Speyburn, an independent Edition Spirits bottling, a 16 year old release from 2007, drawn from cask HL 20665 and bottled at 58.3%. Only 350 bottles were released. Speyburn was built in 1897 in a wooded glen on the edge of Rothes, and Inver House has run it since 1991. Charles Doig, inventor of the distillery pagoda, designed it, and his ventilator still tops the stillhouse.

It was worked through worm tubs that lend a fuller, rounder body, for the fresh, fruity Speyside make Speyburn is known for. Maturation in a sherry cask laid dried fruit over the fresh malt. Around twelve to sixteen years the malt gains a fuller honey over the fruit. Refill oak lets the fresh distillery character lead, fruit over malt. Worm tub condensers are still used, lending the make a rounded, fragrant weight. The first spirit ran in a December snowstorm in 1897, to date the fillings to the Diamond Jubilee.

At a hearty 58.3% it carries real weight. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, fig and a nutty depth, and a fresh, fruity sweetness meet a quiet vanilla from the refill oak. It is fresh and clean, the fruity spirit shining through. A fruity, gently spiced finish lingers long. This is a classic, fruity Speyside single malt.