Single Malt Whisky, Scotland / Speyside

After Glenlivet, Benrinnes and Glenallachie, now it’s the turn of Glenburgie turn to represent Speyside in La Maison du Whisky’s Plume collection dedicated entirely to sherry cask ageing. Its wonderfully exotic and rancio (mango, cherries in brandy) palette of flavours and aromas is also floral, mineral and honeyed. The oriental finish (rose petal) is a high point of the tasting.

TASTING NOTE

Appearance : copper with orange tinges.

Nose : rich, deep. On the first nose, a fine layer of soot covers the aroma palette. It then quickly becomes exotic (mango, guava), hot (Cayenne pepper), chocolatey, fruity (orange) and floral (purple lilac, geranium). Allowed to breathe, a particularly elegant rancio takes its place, bringing candied apricot, walnut and cherries in brandy alongside aromatic plants (sage, verbena) and heather honey. Outstanding!

Palate : ethereal, concentrated. The exotic attack (mango, lychee) is nobly spiced (cardamom) and mineral (charcoal). The mid-palate is very different and characterized by flavours of sweet and juicy white fruits (pear, Mirabelle plum, Golden Delicious apple, peach). The deliciously honeyed (acacia) and milky (coconut, almond) end of the palate brings a delicious sweet treat (Bêtise de Cambrai mint sweets, liquorice sweets).

Overall : long, silky. The rich start of the finish invites us to enjoy a rose-petal-flavoured quince jelly. This superb entrance adds an oriental touch to the flavour palette. The elegant end of the finish reveals flavours of citrus fruit (mandarin, orange), violet bonbons and black liquorice. The slightly salty retro-nasal olfaction is herbaceous (pipe tobacco) and tertiary (fig, date). The very dense empty glass is at once heady (iris), peppery, hot, powdery (cocoa) and malty.