Review by: Raygun

A quick note before anything else for the sake of transparency. This review was done with an industry sample provided free of charge, with no expectations beyond drinking them. As always, I do my best to provide my unbiased opinion, and readers can decide how they want to take this review. For more information, see our Ethics & Transparency statement.

The Artist Series is a yearly line of high-end single casks from LMDW featuring bespoke labels by a contemporary artist. This 13th series has labels by Iris Scott. It’s a very pricey series, and hence I hadn’t had any before. Was fortunate enough to get a full set of samples of this year’s to be able to try them. This Glenburgie is the second oldest. Glenburgie mostly goes into Ballantine’s, but there are a fair number of IBs. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Glenburgie    

Bottler: La Maison du Whisky   

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 58%. Cask strength.   

Age: 28 years. Distilled in 1995 and bottled in 2023. 

Cask type: Hogshead, 186 bottles.

Color: 1.1 burnished. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

Price: About $700

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Nose: Heavy on the pear, both fresh and spiced poached pears. Lemongrass and epazote—there’s a new note for me. Cucumbers.             

Palate: Pears, grapefruit, lemongrass, and again epazote. Definite pungency to it, and it’s a little strange. Gets somewhat fruitier with water. There’s some lime and pineapple along with the pears. And something like a vegetable juice blend.       

Finish: Pears, lemongrass, and now a touch of vanilla. Get some white pepper. Oak pokes its head in, but likely a refill hogshead; it’s not very strong.   

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Conclusion: This is interesting. The fruity aspect is pretty conventional for Glenburgie in my (limited) experience. The pungent herbal and vegetal qualities, on the other hand, are not very typical. It’s an odd combination. I wouldn’t say it totally harmonizes, but there’s a lot to focus on. Would be nice if it were better integrated. The unusual aspects are kind of fun though.  

Buy a bottle? It’s interesting, but no way I’d pay $700. 

Score: 82

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)