Glen Elgin 13 years old Adelphi Selection Single Malt Whisky 54,6%

Adelphi picks casks by tasting their way through and saying no to most of them. It is an old fashioned way to work, and it is the reason their labels are so plain, because there is no room for anything except what is actually in the cask.

The expert description

Glen Elgin 13 Years Old Adelphi Selection is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a single bourbon cask and bottled at cask strength 54.6%.

The cask, number C802276, gave 302 bottles. Adelphi Selection takes its name from a Glasgow distillery that closed in 1907, and the name was revived in 1993 for an independent bottling house. Every release is a single cask at cask strength, without chill filtration and without colouring.

Glen Elgin is one of the distilleries Adelphi returns to. The house fruitiness is clear and stands up to high strength, and a bourbon cask lets it show without being wrapped in dark fruit.

Tasting notes

Nose

Pineapple and ripe melon first, then vanilla custard and a touch of green banana from the American wood.

Palate

Concentrated and sweet. Tropical fruit and honey in front, then a creamy middle and a growing note of white pepper.

Finish

Long and dry with oak, malt and a final cool note of mint.

Specifications

Name: Glen Elgin 13 Years Old Adelphi Selection
Distillery: Glen Elgin
Bottler: Adelphi Selection
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 13 years
ABV: 54.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon cask no. C802276
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Number of bottles: 302
Edition: Single Cask

Flavour profile

Fruity · Tropical · Creamy · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. Adelphi bottles single casks in small runs and has a settled international collector following, and at 302 bottles this is among the smaller releases. Glen Elgin also appears rarely as a single malt, which keeps the field narrow.

Did you know?

Glen Elgin has for decades been the backbone of White Horse, one of the great Scottish blends. Most of the production disappears in that direction, which is why the distillery is far better known among blenders than among malt drinkers.

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Frequently asked questions about Glen Elgin 13 Years Old Adelphi Selection

Is it worth chasing?

302 bottles from one cask, bottled by a house with a settled international following, and from a distillery that rarely appears on its own. Adelphi releases tend to leave the shelves within a season or two.

Who are Adelphi Selection?

An independent bottling house named after a Glasgow distillery founded in 1826 that closed in 1907. The name was revived in 1993, and every release is a single cask at cask strength without chill filtration and without colouring.

What does it taste like?

Pineapple and ripe melon on the nose with vanilla custard, concentrated and sweet on the palate with tropical fruit and honey, and a long dry finish of oak and a cool mint note.

Why a bourbon cask?

Because American oak gives vanilla and pale fruit without laying a layer of dark fruit over the top. The lush fruitiness of Glen Elgin is the house signature, and the bourbon cask shows it most clearly.

What does cask strength mean?

That the whisky is bottled straight from the cask without being diluted with water. The 54.6% is therefore where the cask itself arrived after thirteen years.

How many bottles exist?

302. Once the cask is empty this particular whisky no longer exists, and it cannot be made again.

Should you add water?

Try it neat first. At 54.6% it is concentrated, and a few drops of water bring the tropical fruit forward without taking the weight out of it. See our range of whisky glasses.