Whisky : Glenburgie 23 Year (1995), Signatory Vintage

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 55.2%

Cask : Hogshead

Age : 23 Year (Distilled 15 June 1995, Bottled 23 July 2018)

Nose : Herbal with tropical fruits and florals.  Musty and woody notes of bamboo shoots, rattan furniture, and stewed bamboo hearts.  Tropical florals appeared as plumeria, vanilla, and orange blossoms with faint herbal notes of tarragon and fresh mint.  A mild chalkiness, hints of pastries, and nutty toasted sesame. 

Palate : Medium-bodied with crisp notes of tropical fruits, herbs, and musty wood.  Chalky on the palate with dried lemon peel and Thai lime leaves.  Salty malty notes came through on the mid-palate with saltine crackers and passionfruit lavosh.  Sweet notes of honey and plumeria blossoms.  Water gave it a creamier mouthfeel and brought forward lime and curry leaves with dried mango and tinned pineapple

Finish : Lingering citrus sugars and subtle salt and malt.

Score : 7 

Mental Image : Tropical Fruit Curry

Notes :  Glenburgie absolutely shines at twenty-something years old.  I find it to be a bit awkward as a teen— it loses some of the juicy unctuous fruits of the younger malts and has not fully developed the subtle tropical fruits and florals of the twenty-somethings..  This was clearly one of the stately elders with a delicious profile of tropical fruits, minerals, and tropical florals.  A few drops of water brought out a great deal of additional complexity and really carried this from a six to a seven on my scale.  This was unique as the most herbal Glenburgie I have tried.

Overall, I do not have a lot of deep thoughts to share on this dram.  It was not my favorite twenty-something Glenburgie, but it was absolutely solid and certainly did not disappoint.  This was not quite as juicy and full of lush tropical fruits as some of the others I have reviewed, but it did add some nice fragrant florals and intriguing salty pastry notes.  A tasty summertime dram and just another reason to keep an eye on Glenburgie.

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