Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Glenburgie.

Bottler: Thompson Bros.

Region: Speyside, Scotland.

ABV: 52.1%. Cask strength.

Age: 19 years. Distilled in 2003. Bottling year unclear.

Cask type: Ex-sherry cask.

Price: £33 GBP for 200mL.

Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 4 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.

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Nose: malted chocolate, toasted oats, water unlocks passionfruit, toffee, hints of blue cheese, ricotta, honeycomb.

Palate: full-bodied ~ lots of pepper, some floral notes, more cheesiness, chili flakes, water brings out fresh cream, spice cake, pencil shavings.

Finish: medium-long ~ oak chips, moss, chocolate Necco wafers, cloves, malted milk powder.

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Conclusion: A year or two ago, Thompson Bros. released 200mL bottles of a handful of cask remnants they had acquired, including this sherry-casked Glenburgie. To date, I’ve not reviewed a Glenburgie before—I’ve been told by our local stan Whiskery Turnip that they can be quite lactic, which this whisky had in spades in the form of cream, several kinds of cheeses, and malted milk. However, I’ve also heard that Glenburgies can be very fruity, and on that front this was a tad disappointing: there was some indistinct fruitiness in the nose that coalesced into a nice passionfruit note with water, but otherwise this whisky really dug into the spicy, woody side of its sherried maturation (not sure what kind of sherry cask they used, but seasoned European oak seems likely here.) The mouthfeel is quite good, possibly a psychological effect of the creamy notes, and complexity is definitely there as there’s a lot to pick apart. I just wish it had had some sort of fruitier counterweight to the spice and lactic qualities, as it felt pretty out-of-balance.

Final Score: 79.

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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.