So I’ve had my share of Glenburgies, but it’s never been a stand-out distillery for me. Granted, a good Glenburgie can be a lovely fruity Speysider. Fruity being the keyword there. Even still, it wasn’t one of the distilleries I had considered for the seventh sample of the Blind Tasting Competition.
Yesterday was a day on which I honestly had no particular idea as to what whisky I was tasting. I had a hunch it was probably from Speyside, and from tasting it, I felt it was of a decent age. It was fruity, slightly waxy, so I went for a 20-year-old Imperial at an abv of 56 percent. As it turned out, that was quite a decent guess, since I had the right region and was close in age and alcohol percentage.
Glenburgie 1995 21 Years Old (54,1%, Archives, C#6282)
Nose: Quite creamy, but also slightly dusty, with oak and burlap, whilst also having a fresh and fruitier side. Stewed apples, sweet barley, pear skins.
Taste: Again, lovely creamy stuff, waxy. A fruity base of grape fruit and pears, accompanied by oak and ginger. Some other spices as well, like white pepper. Somewhat dry, bitter and chalky.
Finish: Medium to long, drying. Finally a tad grassy, with whispers of green fruit.
Rating: 86
Proper stuff with a nice mouthfeel and decent fruitiness. The dryness keeps it from scoring even higher.
Photo: Whiskybase