Glenburgie 14 Year (2014) 2004 Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection

Review by: The Muskox

My buddy u/b1uepenguin poured a rather interesting Glenburgie the other day, which I’m sure he’ll be writing about soon. I poured this much-less-interesting bottling in honour of that. I’ve been looking to try more Glenburgie as part of my never-ending quest for tropical whisky. Let’s see if this Cadenhead’s bottling delivers.

I’d also like to welcome back the bookshelf! I finally cleared it off of samples so I could use it for pictures again. The problem of the overflowing sample collection remains unsolved, however.

Distillery: Glenburgie.

Bottler: Cadenhead’s.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 53.6%, cask strength.

Age: 14 years old. Distilled in 2004. Bottled in 11/2018.

Cask type: Bourbon Hogshead.

Color: Pale gold. No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

Nose: Fairly sweet and plush, with plenty of sweet malty notes. Sugar-dusted pastries – apple streusel maybe. Lemon zest and citronella. Very slight tropical yellow fruit. Sort of a darker floral note – tulips maybe. Hints of old pencils, sea breeze, herbs, and a flinty note.

Palate: Medium texture. Arrives with sweet-tart yellow apples and from-concentrate orange juice. Develops slowly, to chewy tropical fruit, honey-oat bars, and buttercream. Dried mango, dark honey, and toasted marshmallows.

Finish: Medium-short. More apples, orange Fanta, and mustier fruit notes of mango. Hints of malt.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Refreshing porridge-ade”

Notes: Not bad, but not great. Very straightforward, lean, no-frills, a very “Cadenhead’s-y” bottling as one friend of mine called it. I like the mineral hints on the nose and darker oilier development on the palate, but it’s lacking in depth and complexity, overall and especially on the finish. I had higher hopes.

Final Score: 79.

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.

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