Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Distillery: Glenburgie.
Bottler: Berry Bros & Rudd.
Region: Scotland/Speyside Single Malt.
ABV: 44.1%. Cask Strength.
Age: 45 Years. Distilled in 1975. Bottled in 2020.
Cask type: Oak.
Nose: Aromatic woods, lamp oil, waxy citrus, slightly creamy tropical fruit funk, mellow herbal spice, heather.
Palate: Light-bodied, oily, waxier with time, aromatic woods, cured citrus, herbal and slightly floral, menthol and earth, more tropical fruits and wood tannins toward the end.
Finish: Long and drying with tropical fruits and subtle heather.
Mental Image: Artifact Heist during the New Year’s Museum Gala
Conclusion: Aromatic woods, lamp oil, and waxy citrus gave the impression of a Victorian museum at night or an old wooden ryokan in the Autumn. Sandalwood and cedar with hints of old cured pine, spruce tips, modeling glue, and wood oils dueled with waxy lemon and grapefruit, tropical fruit preserves, and slightly creamy, funky fermented coconut, guava, and cherimoya. A mellow herbal spice with menthol, lemongrass, and dried heather peaked out from the background. Light-bodied and oily with a gradual waxy crescendo, like waves of lamp oil, citrus, and aromatic woods building with each set or sip. Fragrant sandalwood, cedar, and acacia koa dazzled with modeling glue, cured and fermented citrus, dried florals, and strong herbal tea. Grassy and herbal, somewhere between black and rooibos tea, with a touch of menthol and hearth. Tropical guava and coconut jams developed with dried pineapple rings toward the end as wood tannins lingered for a dryer finale. The finish was drying and tannic, with plenty of tropical fruits and subtle dried heather.
Brilliant but flawed— though maybe our flaws make us beautiful and unique. With a whisky of this age and character, it is easier to enumerate what I did not like than list everything that went right. First, it was too woody, not by much perhaps, but enough that it was too tannic and drying on the finish. Second, it was a touch too light; though it was initially oily and gradually became waxier, the lightness of the palate accentuated the wood tannins and drew attention to them.
Now that I have quibbled, I loved the intensity of flavors on the palate and the incredible aromatic woods on the nose. The whisky reminded me of old cedar wood floors and beams in a ryokan in one moment and then an old Victorian museum with beautiful hardwood features in the next. Fruit and wood were accented by lovely hints of dried grass, florals, or tea, the last of those coming on more strongly on the palate as the woody tannins emphasized some teas’ tannic or drying nature.
Overall, well-structured and the sort of profile you really only get with this kind of long maturation. My choice for the whisky I will pour again to mark the start of the New Year in a week’s time.
Final Score: 90.
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 