Glenburgie SMWS 71.42 “Sinbad preparing for a journey”

Thanks to /u/devoz for sharing a dram of this one.

I’ve been told I need to check out this distillery, Glenburgie more. So since I’ve caught up on some other drams, why not it?

Stopped by devoz’s place to have a couple drams and hang out, and he ended up saying I needed to try this dram. Like, I NEEDED to. So I agreed to it. Twist my rubber arm.

Didn’t know too much about it going in, save it was from one of the now famous Gorda’s that SMWS gathered up. Gorda’s are typically used in American whiskey, not Scotch. It’s near the top end of what you’re allowed to use, so it minimizes the amount of wood touching, much like men in the locker room (well, some men).

I was also told this tastes very different than other Glenburgie’s I’ve had. Since that is a total of 1, didn’t really affect my review.

Let’s see how this tastes, shall we?

Price: $177.99 CAD

Region: Speyside

Date Distilled: 26.06.1998

Age: 17 years

Cask Type: Refill Ex-Sherry Gorda

Outturn: 750

Abv: 57.5%

Colour: 7.5YR 7/10

Nose: Cranberry fudge, sulphur, funk, grape soda, rubber, brine

Creamy, lots of sulphur, and some funk. This is not the most approachable dram at first, however as a sweet obsessed person, I can’t turn down fudge.

Given some time it’s really unique on the nose. Rubber and no smoke. It’s like an Islay without peat but with aspects I associate with peat which makes no sense.

It’s like the first time you hear melodic metal (and enjoy it). If you’re not into it, you’re confused, but there’s something there drawing you back.

Taste: Cranberry soda, cloves, Xmas (the whole holiday), diving in the lake, white chocolate, caramel

This is all over the place. It has vegetal notes like that in a lake, it has white chocolate, the cranberry is sprity and interesting, the spice is so strong it’s Xmas.

Yeah, this is another one of those hard to place drams. It’s all over the place. I tried my best to describe it, however even while doing it I said to devoz that it’s hard to explain. Just so unique. So complex.

Like, I get that the above is a dumb sentence. However it’s next to impossible to describe. It’s spicy, creamy, caramel, woody, sprity, very spicy again, has a funk/algae thing going on, and the cloves come out more.

Finish: Algae, very light earth spice (think saffron), ginger cake, clotted cream, sulphur, white grape juice

Interesting, subtle finish. Lots of spice, still some sulphur, acidic in the right places. Takes awhile to start up and match the taste. However it nearly does, as it just keeps getting more and more creamy and tasty.

Conclusion: Probably one of the best drams I’ve had in awhile. To start, it’s made up of flavours that you don’t see together. It’s unique. But not insane unique. Or maybe insane unique. What I’m saying is you don’t taste bad things on this one. You taste good things.

I’m saying I liked it. It’s spicy, earthy, algae, funk and all good. It’s unique, and I didn’t have an issue with it. Try before you buy.

89/100

Scotch review #707, Speyside review #197, Whisky Network review #1172