Two naked Glenburgie

January 10, 2014

Two naked Glenburgie

I wrote 'naked' because Glenburgie's often offered as ex-heavy sherry, while these two are light in colour...

Glenburgie 21 yo 1992/2013 (50%, Wilson & Morgan, casks #4895-4900)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: a fairly fruity Speysider of good maturity. I'm finding tarte tatin, maple syrup, overripe apples, barley sugar, milk chocolate, vanilla and butterscotch. Maybe not totally entrancing but it's all very fine and pretty straight. A lot of marzipan after five minutes. With water: pretty much the same profile. Sweet barley, cereals, caramelised cornflakes... Mouth (neat): creamy mouth feel, a lot of caramel, fudge and vanilla (that would be vanilla fudge) then apple pie and spicy marmalade. Very full, with a pleasant sweetness. Another one that makes me think of Werther's Originals. Not very Goethian though. With water: same but (even) better. Very creamy, this is almost fortified honey. Finish: long, on fudge, caramel, maple syrup, honey, chocolate... Comments: swims greatly. Let's try to find the name of a great Italian swimmer... There, this Glenburgie, swims like Federica Pellegrini. SGP:541 - 86 points.

Glenburgie 30 yo 1983/2013 (51.5%, Signatory for 30th Anniversary Waldhaus am See, cask #9822, 164 bottles)

A 30yo for a 30th anniversary, how smart is that? Colour: pale gold. Nose: this one has more character, with more minerals, wet grass, earth, humus, roots... And behind that, a fruit salad, with apples, oranges, even pears, with drops of honey and a few fresh mint leaves. I like this. With water: oh this is funny, there are some phenols coming out, old clothes, metal polish, soot, Barbour grease... And something musty. Mouth (neat): more of what we've found in the nose. Big earthy/rooty side, with this feeling of gentian that I cherish. Did the excellent people in St Moritz throw a few gentian roots into the cask? Also oranges and grapefruits, touches of mangos, lemon grass and a wee touch of leather and menthol. Plus, just like in the 1992, a little caramel. Excellent. With water: sweet gentian liqueur, and many tinier flavours. Finish: long, earthy, great. Comments: Glenburgie's not very well-known (anymore, while it was in the 1970s), but there are gems. This one is a good example. SGP:552 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Glenburgie I've tasted so far