Glenburgie 21 Years Old Black Friday 2019 Edition (53.1%, The Whisky Exchange, 1800 Bottles, 2019)

• ABV: 53.1%
• Age: 21 Years Old
• Bottling: The Whisky Exchange
• Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky
• Cost: £79.95
• Origin: Glenburgie distillery
• Vintage: undeclared

What they say

We’re very proud of all the Black Friday whiskies we’ve bottled so far, and this is no exception: we’re delighted to present a third exclusive, one-off Black Friday single malt, bottled just for us by Elixir Distillers.

To celebrate Black Friday 2019, we’ve vatted together a handful of outstanding, refill bourbon hogsheads from a secret Speyside gem. Founded in 1810, the distillery is known for its light and elegant style, and the whisky produced there is rarely seen as a single malt – this exclusive bottling shows why it’s a whisky that’s close to our hearts.

Soft yet zesty, with a substantial, slightly-oily mouthfeel, this beautifully autumnal single malt brings to bear all the fruit and ripeness for which Speyside whisky is best known – a dram showcasing the brighter side of Black Friday.

Official tasting notes:

• NOSE: Vanilla cream poured over a big bowl of fruit salad – mango, pineapple, guava, papaya and Granny Smith apples. Lemon drizzle cake and white chocolate buttons follow, all balanced by a deep scrape of lime zest with a touch of pith.
• PALATE: The cream’s back, with even more fruit behind it, all piled up in a polished oak bowl. The guava and apples lead, with more tropical fruit hiding under a layer of leafy mint and tarragon. Peach and apricot notes build, with spicy cinnamon and brown sugar crumble topping.
• FINISH: Soft spice and brown sugar linger, with apples and vanilla cream slowly re-emerging from under the crumble.

What I say

Distilled at Glenburgie distillery and matured for over 21 years before bottling in 2019 by The Whisky Exchange for their Black Friday celebratory bottling.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: 18ct gold (8/20), quick, oily, medium tears, thick legs.
• Nose: Sweet and vanillic, unctuous sugary/honey sweetness. fruity apple, pineapple, firtters in syrup, sharp and citric, spicy, lemon zest and ginger cake, mango balsamic vinegar.
• Taste: Biscuity sponge fingers, sugary, apple, citric & tropical fruits, pineapple, mango, apple danish, Granny Smith apples, vanilla custard, a little metallic like tinned fruit cocktail.
• Finish: Long, sweet, sherbet, fizzy then drying, oak and hazelnut.

Overall

OK, better at cask strength though tinny. Good tropicality showing age in fruit but feels like quite an underactive cask and a bit of an odd choice. With water becomes sharper, more limey and spicy with cinnamon.

Score 85/100

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