Not much has changed since we wrote about the lack of love given by Pernod Ricard and Chivas Brothers to Glenburgie, almost four years ago. Apart a 16-year-old cask strength expression for South Korea last year, it doesn’t seem anything official has been released since 2022. So once again, it’s up to independent bottlers to allow consumers to enjoy some Glenburgie single malt by itself, and not blended and ruined into a bland Chivas blend. To the rescue today come That Boutique-y Whisky Company and Chorlton Whisky, as we review a Glenburgie 16-year-old Boutique-y and a 14-year-old from Chorlton.
Glenburgie 16yo Batch 8 TBWC (2019) Review
We start with the older of the two, which happens to carry the lower ABV. Our first Glenburgie today is a 16-year-old from a single hogshead, distilled in 2002 and matured for 16 years. That Boutique‑y Whisky Company bottled it in 2019, reducing it to 45.7% ABV and keeping it free from chill filtration and added colour. They originally released batch 8 for the US market, though it also appears in Boutique‑y’s 2024 Advent Calendar. I could not find any picture of the Batch 8, so below is a picture of Batch 6, with the same age and ABV, but in a 500 ml bottle (Batch 8 was in 375 ml bottles).
Colour:
White wine
Nose:
Neat: This Glenburgie presents immediate tropical fruit aromas such as pineapple, mango, and banana, alongside notes reminiscent of peach-flavoured yoghurt. The nose also delivers vanilla, fresh parsley, and hints of spice. This nose really is pure and appealing.
Palate:
Neat: The palate opens with an unexpected surge of spice, primarily pepper, shifting towards tabasco and peperoncino chilli. Further tasting reveals icing sugar and caramel sweetness, sour citrus peel, and noticeable bitter oak. Herbaceous bitterness is also present.
Finish:
The finish retains lingering spicy heat, bitter oak and cardboard, grapefruit juice sourness, and a touch of icing sugar.
Comments:
This Glenburgie opens beautifully, offering a fragrant and inviting nose full of promise. Unfortunately, the palate doesn’t quite live up to what the aromas suggest. The flavours lean toward spice and a touch of sourness that feels slightly unbalanced, and a hint of bitterness creeps in on the finish. Whether the cask lacked character from the start or the reduction muted its potential, the result falls short – a pity, since the nose alone easily deserved a solid 7.
Rating: 6/10
Glenburgie 14-year-old Chorlton (2024) Review
Next comes a Glenburgie 14-year-old from Chorlton Whisky, drawn from a single hogshead. Chorlton bottled this whisky at cask strength — 53.9% ABV – with no chill filtration or added colour, yielding 149 bottles. Several Italian shops still offer it at €105 per bottle.
Colour:
Pale straw.
Nose:
Neat: The nose shows less intensity than the Boutique-y bottling, despite the higher ABV. The aroma reveals citrus sourness alongside sweetness from fudge, northern French sugar pie, peaches in syrup, and notes of dried herbs and heather.
With water: After reduction, the nose becomes more citrus-driven, showing macerated herbs, orange marmalade, and plum pie.
Palate:
Neat: The arrival is spicier than the Boutique-y, followed by pronounced dark chocolate (90%) and an impression of raw and bitter wood. Citrus sourness appears with lemon, lime, and grapefruit juice, as well as coffee, herbal liqueur, and spent tea leaves.
With water: The spice develops more gradually, and the citrus tartness intensifies. The reduction lessens the wood influence and introduces a refreshing mint note.
Finish:
The finish brings rough wood with a subtle citrus nuance, a light drying sensation, and a herbaceous hint of mint.
Comments:
This Glenburgie 14-year-old Chorlton exhibits notable imperfections, with the palate marked by assertive, unbalanced spice and a pronounced roughness from the oak. However, introducing a few drops of water significantly improves the experience, smoothing the rough edges and bringing much-needed balance to the whisky’s palate.