Whisky: Glenburgie 30 Year (1988), Gordon & MacPhail Cask 1082

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 50.4%

Cask: Refill American Hogshead

Age: 30 Years (Distilled 27 Jan. 1988, Bottled 3 July 2018)

Notes: The aroma was gentle, frustratingly subtle at times, and rather austere, with peach tea offering up the impression of floral, sweet stone fruits and herbal tea. Green apples and orchard fruits lingered further in with white chocolate chip cookies, antique wood, and caramelized tomato paste— it was not hard to imagine sweet tea or baked beans. Medium-bodied, the flavors were explosive with citrus, crisp orchard fruits, and woodsy resins erupting and fading fast. Citronella candles and hardwood resins appeared with a touch of sweet tea and pineapple jam in the background. Waxy, yet drying, a fermented herbal and grassy quality that was occasionally a touch sour provided a musty and herbaceous finale.  The finish was long and drying, subtle though, with herbal tea, antique wood, and hints of stone fruit.

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Score: 7-8 (85)

Mental Image: Red Wall Gin Den

Conclusion: Three decades in the cask left this Glenburgie more delicate and subtle than I expected— a theme it shared with the other 1988 Glenburgie I reviewed this week.  After three decades, the influence of the wood had begun to overtake that of the malt with all of the big resinous wood and stone fruit pit notes. There were interesting elements here— perhaps none more so than seeing some of my notes match Gordon & MacPhail’s on the bottle (that is rare enough to be remarkable). The flavors were generally good, though on the simpler side, and the alcohol well-integrated.

Overall, good— though my Glenburgie fandom might make me an extra harsh critic.