Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Distillery: Glenburgie.
Bottler: Signatory Vintage.
Region: Scotland/Speyside Single Malt.
ABV: 59.2%. Cask Strength.
Age: 28 Years. Distilled on 20 June 1995. Bottled on 5 Sept. 2023.
Cask type: Bourbon Hogshead.
Nose: Tropical fruit jam and buttery pastries; creamy haupia or coconut pudding and syrup, white gummy bears, hints of longan and rambutan— fruity flesh and woody pit; herbal and botanical with red ginger, ti leaf, and achiote (lipstick plant seeds or annatto).
Palate: Medium to full-bodied and viscous, tropical fruit jams and buttery pancakes with creamy haupia, white gummy bears, and macerated dried coconut on brown sugar donuts; sweetened hibiscus and passion flower tea, hints of freshly crushed cane and red dirt; fruitier pineapple tea toward the end with gentle tannins.
Finish: Medium to long and slightly drying with white gummy bears and herbal tea.
Mental Image: Red Eyes over Honolulu City Lights.
Conclusion: Wonderfully tropical and fruity on the nose and the palate, there were occasional hints of something slightly maritime— like hamachi sashimi, salmon belly, or even ikura (though prior to them bursting and releasing their briny delight). It was an almost creamy, fatty quality that was incredibly mild and fleeting— yet it kept popping up every so often, especially on the finish where it lingered. Otherwise, tropical fruits and white gummies gathered for a botanical garden picnic with pancakes, scones, and donuts dotted with tropical fruit jams and coconut cream pudding.
There was a dreamy element to the topical infusion that fell somewhere between memories of sampling fruit and food in a Chinatown market and the way a good friend described the melancholy of watching the Honolulu city lights fade into the distance from the window seat of a red eye flight. Keola Beamer has a well-known song by the same name, Honolulu City Lights, and she described it as the soundtrack every time she had to say aloha once again as child.
Overall, I am naturally biased here. I love Glenburgie and I went out of my way to pick up this bottle— the June 1995 vintage for Glenburgie is absolutely stacked with amazing tropical fruit bombs.
Final Score: 89.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 