05/08/2021 Glenglassaugh

Glenglassaugh 40yo 1965/2006 (46.7%, Duncan Taylor selected by & exclusively bottled for The Whisky Fair, Fino Sherry Butt, 361b): nose: it is a dry-and-fruity white wine, with a drop of apricot juice to spice things up. Juicy grapes, lychee, Chinese gooseberry, soft apricot, but also honeysuckle, jasmine, and a hint of the most refined smoke. This is light, (extremely) elegant, ethereal, akin to entering a perfumist's shop in one of the poshest arrondissements of Paris, I would imagine. Further on, green citrus appears; dried pomelo peels, unripe limes, unripe bergamot. There might even be a soft touch of scented wax. The second nose has flower petals (white and pink roses, pink tulips) and antique furniture. It does not have this overtly varnish-y character that antique furniture so often has, though: it is old wood au naturel. Tantalising nose! Mouth: thin in texture, it is pretty acidic, with more of the citrus from the nose (lime, pomelo, bergamot), and a certain bitterness (cucumber peel, citrus pith). The smoky impression is less felt, here, hinting at old boilers, rather than campfires. This has some wood too, which is not unexpected, after forty long years in a cask, I suppose: eucalyptus powder, sawdust, balsawood. The whole is balanced and integrated to perfection, with the somewhat modest ABV turning out ideal, and cassia bark and Chinese five-spice mix adding some excitement on the taste buds. Retro-nasal olfaction catches snippets of pink marshmallow as a nice treat. What a delight! Finish: it is certainly acidic, here, yet it also has an undeniable creaminess to it. Flowers come out most, with fruits comfortably quiet in the back seat, and the smoke virtually absent. At a push, one may detect smoky kumquats. In the medium term, the bitterness of leafy wood settles in (chai, eucalyptus and tulip stems), though it remains well-behaved. Even later, white-wine-soaked pink marshmallow brings a sweeter ending to this beautiful finish. Remarkable whisky! 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, PS)