Whisky: Glenburgie-Glencraig 30 Year (1974), Duncan Taylor Cask 2926

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 40.1%

Cask: Oak

Age: 30 Years (Distilled March 1974, Bottled Oct. 2004)

Nose: Citrus, refined sugar, paper, sisal and rough thread, hints of melon rind and herbal tea; mineral quality with chalk and sandstone.

Palate: Light-bodied, orchard fruits, citrus, paper and weathered wood, grassy and herbal, subtle earth with charred wood, more garden toward the end with hints of florals.

Finish: Medium-length and mildly drying with sisal, citrus, and minerals.

Score: 6-7 (81)

Mental Image: Sunny Sea Cliff Sketches

Narrative & Notes: Mellow and mild, dehydrated lemon slices and buttery sugars promised lemon zest sugar cookies and a fresh copy of the morning newspaper.  Papery notes continued, aging to become old yellowed archival papers alongside sisal and other rough fibrous materials.  A touch of melon rind and dried grass hinted at herbal tea, chalk, and coastal sandstone. Light-bodied with freshly squeezed lemonade, quince, and apple jelly candies developing toward old newspapers, weathered wooden outdoor picnic tables, and grassy herbal tea.  Hints of earth and charred wood hid further in as fruits reappeared with apple skins, a touch of garden flowers, and honeysuckle late on.  The finish was medium-length and mildly drying with sisal or burlap, dried citrus rinds, and a touch of mineral-stone.

In the decade after the Second World War, the Scotch Whisky industry entered into a remarkable period of experimentation. Glencraig is a wonderful example of this, as the malt was produced at Glenburgie distillery using Lomond Stills from 1958 to 1981. The installation of the Lomond stills was one means to produce a different whisky style at a pre-existing distillery, thereby saving on the expense of building an entirely new one. Similar experiments with Lomond stills occurred at Miltonduff with Mosstowie, while trials using peated water and other twists at Glen Keith and Strathisla producing the rarely seen Craigduff and Glenisla.

In another universe, where all of these experiments panned out, more distilleries might resemble Loch Lomond, or the more established Japanese distilleries, with their ability to produce a myriad of different styles and types of whisky. Unfortunately for the Lomond stills, the rectifying plats in the neck were difficult to clean, “notoriously” so according to the Whiskypedia, and the experiment came to a close on the eve of the whisky loch.

Overall, austere and balanced— an enjoyable curiosity.