“Old Man”
Whisky Review # 1060
Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Glenburgie 1989 - Distilled: 20-09-1989 - Bottled: 25-09-2019
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail - Connaisseurs Choice Series - 185 bottles
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail - Connaisseurs Choice Series - 185 bottles
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky - Cask # 14142
Age: 30 Years
Age: 30 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 53.2% (Cask Strength)
Maturation: Refill Sherry Hogshead
Chill Filtration: No
Price: Around US$ 900 (March 2025) - Hard to find
Maturation: Refill Sherry Hogshead
Chill Filtration: No
Price: Around US$ 900 (March 2025) - Hard to find
Price/Quality Ratio: 😟 It can't be cheap of course but it's not worth the price
Buying Advice: 😐 It's nice enough although it overstayed its time in the cask
Colour:
Mahogany with deep shades of Brown (Natural Colour)
Nose:
Mature Sherried Nose. Not too powerful thanks to the Refill cask. The Oak is very present and I believe this Glenburgie could/should have been bottled a few years earlier. Still it's not bad at all with Dried Fruits, Nuts, Honey, Oak & Spices in the lead. The Alcohol is reasonably well-integrated. Sweet with some Sour accents.A little Sulfur perhaps but nothing to worry about.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley, Toasted Cereals, Buttered Toast, Honey, X-Mas Cake, Dried Fruits (Raisins, Sultanas, Plums, Dates), Dark Red Berries, Toasted Nuts, Grass & Straw, Dusty Oak, Dark Chocolate, Pepper, Cloves and Mint/Menthol.
Colour:
Mahogany with deep shades of Brown (Natural Colour)
Nose:
Mature Sherried Nose. Not too powerful thanks to the Refill cask. The Oak is very present and I believe this Glenburgie could/should have been bottled a few years earlier. Still it's not bad at all with Dried Fruits, Nuts, Honey, Oak & Spices in the lead. The Alcohol is reasonably well-integrated. Sweet with some Sour accents.A little Sulfur perhaps but nothing to worry about.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley, Toasted Cereals, Buttered Toast, Honey, X-Mas Cake, Dried Fruits (Raisins, Sultanas, Plums, Dates), Dark Red Berries, Toasted Nuts, Grass & Straw, Dusty Oak, Dark Chocolate, Pepper, Cloves and Mint/Menthol.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Marzipan, Wax, Stewed Apples, Citrus (Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit), Tobacco, Leather, Dusty Earth, Brandy, Raw Meat, Wet Rocks, Dried Herbs, Milk, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.
Palate:
The Palate follows the Nose. However, the Oak and the Spices come to the play at this point. I also get light hints of a Petrol station and Sulfur but nothing to get worried about. The Palate is a reasonably balanced mix of Sweet, Bitter and Sour notes.
Main Flavours:
Malted Barley, Toasted Cereals, Toasted Nuts, Dark Honey, Dried Fruit like Plums, Raisins, Dates and Sultanas, Dark Berries, X-Mas Cake, Orange-Flavored Bitter Chocolate, Grass and Straw, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg, Licorice and Menthol.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Buttered Toast, Butterscotch, Wax, Herbal Tea, Lemon, Grapefruit, Tobacco, Leather, Milk, Stewed Apple, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves and Cinnamon.
Finish:
Middle-Long. Sweet at first but with increasing Bitter and Sour notes towards the Dry end. Oak and Spices really take control at this point. I also find Sweet Barley, Toasted Cereals, Toasted Nuts, Dark Honey, Vanilla, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Plums and Sultanas, Orange-Flavored Dark Chocolate, Dark Berries, Grapefruit, Lemon, Stewed Apples, Grass and Straw, Wax, Dusty Track, Tobacco, Leather, Wet Rocks, Coconut, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger, Licorice and Menthol.
Drinking Advice:
I added a few drops of Water and that makes this Glenburgie more accessible. You will lose some depth though. As is the case most of the times I prefer it neat. But you can certainly play with a little Water.
Drinking Experience:
Good
Conclusion:
The Glenburgie distillery was founded in 1810 by William Paul, initially under the name Kilnflat, It closed in 1870 & reopened as Glenburgie in 1878. Since 2005 the distillery is owned by Chivas Regal (Pernod Ricard). Glenburgie is one of the three main Malt components of the Ballantine's Blend. The other two being Miltonduff & Glentauchers. The core range merely consists of the 12, 15 and 18 year old. Production amounts to around 4.2 litres per year.
Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Marzipan, Wax, Stewed Apples, Citrus (Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit), Tobacco, Leather, Dusty Earth, Brandy, Raw Meat, Wet Rocks, Dried Herbs, Milk, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.
Palate:
The Palate follows the Nose. However, the Oak and the Spices come to the play at this point. I also get light hints of a Petrol station and Sulfur but nothing to get worried about. The Palate is a reasonably balanced mix of Sweet, Bitter and Sour notes.
Main Flavours:
Malted Barley, Toasted Cereals, Toasted Nuts, Dark Honey, Dried Fruit like Plums, Raisins, Dates and Sultanas, Dark Berries, X-Mas Cake, Orange-Flavored Bitter Chocolate, Grass and Straw, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Ginger, Nutmeg, Licorice and Menthol.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Buttered Toast, Butterscotch, Wax, Herbal Tea, Lemon, Grapefruit, Tobacco, Leather, Milk, Stewed Apple, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Cloves and Cinnamon.
Finish:
Middle-Long. Sweet at first but with increasing Bitter and Sour notes towards the Dry end. Oak and Spices really take control at this point. I also find Sweet Barley, Toasted Cereals, Toasted Nuts, Dark Honey, Vanilla, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Plums and Sultanas, Orange-Flavored Dark Chocolate, Dark Berries, Grapefruit, Lemon, Stewed Apples, Grass and Straw, Wax, Dusty Track, Tobacco, Leather, Wet Rocks, Coconut, Dusty Oak, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger, Licorice and Menthol.
I added a few drops of Water and that makes this Glenburgie more accessible. You will lose some depth though. As is the case most of the times I prefer it neat. But you can certainly play with a little Water.
Rating: 8 (********)
Nose: 8 - Taste: 8 - Finish: 7.5
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.
Good
Conclusion:
The Glenburgie distillery was founded in 1810 by William Paul, initially under the name Kilnflat, It closed in 1870 & reopened as Glenburgie in 1878. Since 2005 the distillery is owned by Chivas Regal (Pernod Ricard). Glenburgie is one of the three main Malt components of the Ballantine's Blend. The other two being Miltonduff & Glentauchers. The core range merely consists of the 12, 15 and 18 year old. Production amounts to around 4.2 litres per year.
I'm a great fan of Gordon & McPhail in general but in this case they should have bottled cask # 14142 3-5 years earlier in my opinion. As presented Oak and Spice become too dominant on the Palate and in the Finish. There's still enough to enjoy though and I did spend a nice two hours with this Glenburgie. Of course a Single Malt of this age can't be cheap but at current prices the P/Q ratio of this Malt does not look great. It was nice to taste a sample though!
Cheers, Jan 🥃 March 27, 2025
