A small trio of very old Glenburgie


November 14, 2025

A small trio of very old Glenburgie, tasted vertically

Not a distillery we taste very often, but there have been plenty of indie bottlings in recent years. Sadly, as a warm-up, we no longer have any Glencraig to hand; just a reminder, that was the malt distilled at Glenburgie using Lomond stills until 1981. Nor do we have any old Ballantine’s, the house blend… However, we do have one of the very rare official bottlings, and we’ve never tasted it before…

Glenburgie 17 yo 1999/2017 (55.7%, OB, The Distillery Reserve Collection, first fill barrel, cask #6237, 210 bottles)

A Chivas Brothers edition that picked up a silver medal at the Malt Maniacs Awards in 2017, though I wasn’t on the jury that year. Colour: straw. Nose: it’s austere, on earth and grass after the rain, sourdough bread, tiny semi-wild apples and plain barley. A kind of statement, perhaps? With water: a few notes of paraffin oil and metal polish come out, while the fruit retreats to a strict minimum. Mouth (neat): rather sharp, still very grassy, leaning more towards green apple and lemon this time. Still just as austere… With water: and here come the fruits, now a little more expressive, greengages, yellow melon, some vanilla too, and quite a bit of green tea. Finish: long, fairly cutting, grassy. A welcome touch of apple juice in the aftertaste. Comments: a quality filler, but not the easiest of Speysiders.
SGP:351 - 84 points.

Let’s move on to… less serious matters.

Glenburgie 50 yo 1975/2025 (40.5%, Brave New Spirits, Cask Masters, American bourbon hogshead, 108 bottles)

Naturally, such an old whisky at such a borderline strength can be a bit daunting, and there’s perhaps a bit of a coin-toss quality here—but don’t we all love a challenge? And against risk and uncertainty, don’t we always wager on luck? (S., please stop with pub philosophy…) Colour: deep gold. Nose: bingo, the miracle has happened, this is like an old mead that’s remained perfect, or an ancient perry of similar pedigree, with a few windfall apples simply glazed with very soft honey and just a touch of cinnamon. All in all, this is wonderfully elegant, in the style of the old Glenburgies at 40% from G&M or Sestante. Mouth: naturally, there’s more in the way of herbal teas and infusions, old tobacco, even a few faint cardboardy notes, but the fruits and honeys have held on and balance the whole thing beautifully. We’re back to those famous honeyed apples dusted with cinnamon. Finish: not eternal, granted, but it stays soft and there are lovely hints of pollen. Comments: of great delicacy, and I’d imagine it could be sipped like a fine wine. Now just imagine what dishes you’d pair it with—any ideas?
SGP:351 - 90 points.

Glenburgie 59 yo 1964/2023 (52.9%, Gordon & MacPhail, Private Collection, 1st fill sherry hogshead, cask #260, 141 bottles)

Always these impressive strengths for such old whiskies at G&M. And as always, we’re left stunned they didn’t wait just a few more months to release it at 60 years of age. If that’s not the height of well-placed Scottish cheek, I don’t know what is. Colour: gold. Nose: incredible. Like old Sauternes from a top château, candied orange, beeswax, and a few perfectly ripe little figs. Nothing more to add, except that it’s pretty grand. And then there are gentle puffs of patchouli arriving in a second wave. With water: oh yes, the malted barley answers back and finds its place! There are also touches of mint tea with pine nuts, and fig-filled biscuits—think Figolu. A killer. Mouth (neat): magnificent dialogue between melon, fir buds, green apples and lemon balm infusion. With water: it falls into line, with elegance and humility. Ripe apples, pears, quinces… Finish: fairly long, almost simple but in a deeply moving sort of way. And the citrus fruits tumble in on the aftertaste, tangerines, oranges, bergamots… Comments: let’s admit it, bringing this cask to 60 years wouldn’t have changed a thing. Hats off to the artists!
SGP:561 - 93 points.

Let’s finish with a younger Glenburgie, but from an even older vintage…

Glenburgie-Glenlivet 28 yo 1962/1991 (57.8%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection)

On the little cream-coloured label it’s clearly stated that this baby was matured in an ‘oak cask’, as always with this fine series—a mention that, I believe, will keep us chuckling until the end of time. Or of these (often) magnificent bottles. Colour: gold. Nose: powerful, almost phenolic, with something approaching Jamaican rum. Notes of soy sauce, old calvados, certainly plenty of fir liqueur, and then more and more cough syrup, with mint, camphor and rather thunderous eucalyptus. But caution, while the nose is beautiful, it may be signalling a rather tougher palate, but let’s see. With water: continues along that cough syrup line, but even drier and more bitter. Mouth (neat): not very easy, as expected, with fir becoming dominant and bitter, though counterbalanced by some lemon. Hmm… With water: a bit better, but the bitterness dominates, which is rather surprising, and I wonder whether there might be a bit of cork taint. It happens, not often, but it happens. Finish: slightly improved again, thanks to the citrus which comes in like Chuck Norris, though it still stays quite astringent. Comments: still, something must have gone wrong here, please don’t pay too much attention to this note.
SGP:271 - 70 points (for the record).

Check the index of all Glenburgie we've tasted