A quick note before anything else. This week, five of my LMDW Artist Series reviews were done with industry samples provided free of charge and without any pesky strings attached; this message precedes each of those reviews. As ever, I am unsure if that led me to grade harder or easier, but I prefer ant entanglements to be upfront. For more, check out the ethics statement we use on Maltrunners.com.

Whisky: Glenburgie 28 Year (1995), LMDW Artist #13 Cask 6715

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 58%

Cask: Hogshead

Age: 28 Years (Distilled 1995, Bottled 2023)

Nose: Wood and cream, vanilla, coconut, lumber, mineral oil; with time more tropical fruits and creamy butter.

Palate: Medium-bodied, woody and creamy, vanilla, coconut, peppercorn, brown sugar, baking spices; with water more tropical fruit and apricots.

Finish: Medium to long with gummy bears, wood, and mellow cream.

Score: 6 (78)

Mental Image: Itinerant Beaver Candy Dealer

Narrative & Notes: Woodsy and creamy, the aroma was loaded with vanilla, coconut, and brown sugar.  Wood was everywhere— freshly waxed floors, shiplap nailed to the walls, and fine cutting boards treated with mineral oil. Aromatic rye spices and vanilla mellowed toward kiwis and tropical fruits with butter and brown sugar. Medium to full-bodied with a tannic weight and dryness on the palate.  Creamy vanilla and coconut popped with peppercorns, brown sugar, clove, and cardamom over polished wood and dried apricot. A few drops of water and time to rest brought kiwis and tropical fruits to the palate.  The finish was medium to long with Haribo gummy bears in a wooden box.

This was the woodsiest 1995 Glenburgie I have reviewed, and I have enjoyed many close sibling casks to this one, which I assume LMDW sourced from the warehouses of Signatory Vintage. The fruitier elements were there, but hidden deeper in the background. This review was based on a handful of tastings with a provided sample and I wondered if over time an open bottle would see more of those latent tropical fruit qualities emerge so that this felt more like the rest of its June 1995 cohort.

Overall, a fine whisky, but one that fell short of its sibling casks. Too woody for my taste with a great deal more cream, pepper, and tannins than the others— perhaps time would unlock some additional complexity, but at over $700 a bottle, that’s not a gamble I will take.