Glen Spey – First Cask 1976 – Speyside – 29 year old 46% vol

This is bottle 185, from cask 1061. Distilled 15th April 1976.

From old tasting notes: on the nose stewed fruits and dates, on the palate there are dried fruits and mincemeat, the finish is long and fruity.

Colour: gold.

Nose: Soft honeys, pollens, sunflower seeds, light hessian. Classic old Speyside juice really. Some hints of varnish, various waxes and wood polish. These sharpen to more specific notes of melon, pineapple and orange peel with a little time. There’s also a leafy freshness about it, some camphor and damp earthy notes with a wee hint of pipe tobacco. Very lovely.

Mouth: sooty honey, milk bottle sweeties, lemon oil, porridge and beeswax. A hint of lime leaf and pot pourri as well.

Finish: Medium length, leafy, menthol tobacco, juicy fruits, citrus rinds, soft waxes and a hint of wood spice. Comments: There is a generic Speyside feel about it, but then what is Glen Spey if not ‘generic Speyside’. The age, however, has made it undeniably aromatic, pleasurable and appealing.