Review by: The Muskox

Here’s a distillery I didn’t visit on my recent trip to Scotland. What they lack in tours, they tend to make up for in deliciousness. Here’s an extremely expensive (~$700) example from La Maison du Whisky.

This sample was provided to me by a producer, distributor, or some other industry source free-of-charge. No compensation, outside of the sample, was received and there were no strings attached. You can read our full statement of Ethics & Transparency at this link.

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Distillery: Glenburgie.

Bottler: La Maison du Whisky.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 56.8%. Cask strength.

Age: 28 years. Distilled August in 1995. Bottled in 2023.

Cask type: Cask #90909872, a bourbon cask.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: No colour added. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Sweet and layered, but somewhat shy. Honeycomb and shortbread. Creamy Earl Grey with milk and rosehips. Complex fragrant fruit – dried apples and pears, peaches, lemon zest. Clove and vanilla, maybe a bit of coconut too.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Rich flavours straight away, bittersweet and malty. Honey pomelo, pressed flowers, almonds, and Canales. Strong old oak as the whisky develops, but joined with intense dried-flowers fragrance. Slightly tropical here, with underripe pineapple and banana. Citrus oils, orgeat, and coffee cakes.

Finish: Long, oaky but otherwise sweet and succulent with clinging citrus oils. Varnished wood, well-worn leather, mild tobacco. Wine gums and tangerine. Thick dripping honey and custard. Lingering vanilla. Just a hint of menthol.

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Conclusion: Excellent whisky, if you’re into this sort of thing. I could see the strong oak and flowers not being to everyone’s taste, but I dig it. It’s a very to-the-point dram with its combo of oak, citrus, and flowers – probably not quite as complex or as generous as my very favourite old Glenburgies. Still great.

Final Score: 87.

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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.