Whisky: Glenburgie 8 Year (2010), AD Rattray

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 56.5%

Cask: Bourbon Hogshead, Sauternes Hogshead

Age: 8 Years (Distilled 1 April 2010, Bottled 15 Aug. 2018)

Nose: Orchard and stone fruits, sweet and sour, earthy, stone and moss, hints of vanilla and spruce, woody stone fruit pits, tart berries.

Palate: Medium-bodied, tart stone fruits and dried berries, earth and moss, herbal mint and shiso, slightly bitter with old wood, mushroom, and baking chocolate.

Finish: Medium-length and drying with herbs, earth, and subtle fruit.

Score: 6-

Mental Image: Forest Gnome Candy Shop

Narrative & Notes: The aroma spoke of apple cider and umeshu as apples and ume danced between sweet, sour, and acidic. A blanket of earth sat underneath with stone, moss, and dry pine needles. Hints of vanilla lingered with spruce tip tea, stone fruit pits, and tart mountain blackberries. Medium-bodied and viscous, the flavor profile transitioned between layers of stone fruit, earth, herbs, and chocolate. Ume and sour plums touched down first with more subtle dried blueberry and blackberry, while a layer of earthy loam developed in the background. Stone and moss came to mind as herbal notions coalesced into mint, shiso, and even slightly bitter perilla leaf. Old wood and slightly earthy mushroom lingered at the end with semi-sweet baking chocolate. A few drops of water brought out more bitter orange and a hint of licorice. The finish was medium-length and drying with herbs, earth, and subtle fruit.

Surprisingly earthy, there was very little here I would describe as typically Glenburgie. The cask maturation elevated earthier elements of the spirit and transformed the fruity Glenburgie malt into something more tart and acidic. I have had a few herbal Glenburgie, but never something with quite this level of shiso or perilla leaf. The gentle bitterness and chocolate that arrived with those notes was an interesting contrast to the initial fruit. However, I suspect the notes I identified as baking chocolate might come off as an unfortunate bitterness to others.

A few drops of water brought out more of the orange I expected from the sauternes finish but never entirely controlled the bitterness. Again, I did not mind that quality as it struck me like a lovely bitter orange with hints of aniseed liqueur, but those with some sensitivity might find it less pleasant.

Overall, a lovely Glenburgie with a profile that dialed up and down some of the distillery’s flavors in novel ways. It was not the sort of whisky I would pull off the shelf to drink very often, so it may very well belong in the category of drams that are more interesting than they are strictly good.