One of Singapore's most notable bars, The Auld Alliance, which is known for not just a pretty massive collection of vintage spirits across whiskies, rums, calvados, and even Port wine, had released a couple of months back a Glenburgie - just look at that gorgeous label!

Glenburgie is for me quite the insider's Scotch, it's not a name you'll hear from the everyday person (unlike names that come with massive marketing budgets), and yet talk to any Scotch fan and they'll most definitely nod in approval for any positivity in the direction of Glenburgie. It's also one of my big favourites for its more fruity, floral and clean flavour profile.

The Auld Alliance bar in Singapore.

Glenburgie nevertheless gets its primary purpose from serving as a body malt for the Ballantine's blend, having been established as early 1810. The distillery belongs today to Pernod Ricard (under the Chivas Brothers portfolio), and very interestingly sports two Lomond stills - stills that were invented for Hiram Walker, once a major distilling company, and works alittle bit like a blend of a pot still and a Coffey still, which is entirely very uncommon and creates a rather unique flavour profile.

Let's give this 1995 Glenburgie, really well aged at 28 years old, matured in a hogshead, bottled for The Auld Alliance bar, a go!

Glenburgie 1995, 28 Years Old, Bottled For The Auld Alliance (TAA), 53.1% ABV - Review

Tasting Notes

Colour: Gold

Aroma: Fairly cereal and honeyed on the nose - sugar cornflakes, golden honey syrup, and wheatflakes. Letting the whisky sit a bit more on in the glass, you start to get crisp red apples, white bread crust, as well as a very light tangerine peel zesty fragrance that lingers at the back of the sweeter scented fruits. After a while more, the whisky starts to reveal oatmeal aromas as well, in particular, one where the oatmeal has been boiled with evaporated milk or sweetened with condensed milk. 

Taste: On the palate, the whisky reveals more fruity flavours at first, like a very tart green apple, pear, as well as underripe peaches. After the fruity flavours make their appearance, the flavour morphs to its cereal like profile - this time, instead of being that spectrum of sweetened cooked or processed grain from the nose, I get dryer, wheatier grains - think Weetbix cereal, unflavoured cornflakes, and wheat porridge. There is a sprinkle of baking spices as well - in particular, shaved nutmeg and powdered cinnamon, and at the very end, vanilla infused caster sugar.

Finish: The finish carries some savouriness, heavily toasted cereal flavour here, like panfried breadcrumbs, toasted pie pastry, and unsweetened oatmeal. There is a vanillic quality here as well, which grows the longer it sits on the finish. Some echoes of floral notes, in particular jasmine blossoms and fresh honeysuckle.

My Thoughts

The big interest factor for me here was how the nose evolves! Firstly, it starts out sweet and sugary, followed by fruity aromas, and then ending off with a milky, processed dairy-esque fragrance that lingers long on the glass.

It's punchy, with good intensity, and you do get flavours that evolve toward savoury profiles towards the end. It's a straightforward fruity, floral and cereal whisky that is approachable, tasty, easy to start a session with, and very much a no-brainer - one where you don't have to think too hard about. Simple, clean, with enough intrigue on the nose to inspire the imagination.

 

@vernoncelli