Glen Elgin 1995/2016 Adelphi Selection 20 years old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 53,1%

Twenty years is a long time to leave a cask to get on with it. Adelphi emptied this one in 2016, and it had been filled in 1995, a decade before most people started caring what Glen Elgin actually tasted like on its own.

The expert description

Glen Elgin 1995/2016 Adelphi Selection 20 Years Old is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a single cask and bottled at cask strength 53.1%.

The cask, number 3216, was filled in 1995 and bottled in 2016. It gave 210 bottles, which is few even by Adelphi standards. Like the rest of the house releases it is bottled without chill filtration and without added colour.

Twenty years does something to the Glen Elgin fruitiness. The fresh, almost tropical character that marks the younger bottlings pulls towards dried fruit and wax, and the weight the spirit takes from the worm tubs is given room to come through. That the strength still sits at 53.1% after two decades says something about how dry that cask lay.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried apricot and peach, honey on toast, and a waxy note like old furniture timber.

Palate

Deep and oily. Yellow fruit and caramel do the carrying, while the malt steps forward in the middle and the oak lays a dry spiced edge beneath.

Finish

Very long with mineral, white pepper and a final sweetness of honey and oak.

Specifications

Name: Glen Elgin 1995/2016 Adelphi Selection 20 Years Old
Distillery: Glen Elgin
Bottler: Adelphi Selection
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 20 years
ABV: 53.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Single cask no. 3216
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 1995
Bottled: 2016
Number of bottles: 210
Edition: Single Cask
EAN no.: 5060383652314

Flavour profile

Fruity · Waxy · Malty · Mineral · Mature

Investment potential

Medium. Twenty years in wood, a single cask and only 210 bottles from a distillery that supplies almost entirely to blends. Age stated Glen Elgin bottlings over twenty years have become noticeably harder to find as the older stocks have been drawn down.

Did you know?

Glen Elgin was rebuilt in 1964 and went from two pot stills to six. The rebuild tripled capacity, but the distillery kept its worm tubs, a decision that is today the reason the whisky carries more body than the numbers suggest.

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Frequently asked questions about Glen Elgin 1995/2016 Adelphi Selection 20 Years Old

Is twenty year old Glen Elgin hard to find?

Yes, and increasingly so. The distillery sends almost its entire production on into blends, so the older casks that reach independent bottlers at all are few. Here there are 210 bottles from one cask.

How does it compare with the younger bottlings?

The fresh tropical fruit has pulled towards dried apricot and wax, and the weight of the spirit has come through more clearly. It is deeper and oilier, where the younger releases stand brighter and crisper.

Why is it still 53.1% after twenty years?

Because the cask lost remarkably little strength. In drier warehouses water evaporates faster than alcohol, so a cask can hold a high strength for decades. The result is a concentrated whisky with plenty of body.

What does natural colour mean?

That no caramel colouring has been added. The colour comes from the cask alone and therefore says something real about how active the wood has been. Adelphi never adds colour.

What is a single cask?

A cask bottled on its own without being married with others. Here cask number 3216. The flavour is exactly what this particular cask ended up giving, and it cannot be repeated.

Should it be drunk or kept?

That depends on what you are after. Whisky does not develop in the bottle, so it will not improve by waiting, but the supply shrinks. See our range of whisky glasses if it is to be opened.

How is it best stored?

Upright, dark and cool. Lying down lets the spirit eat away at the cork, and direct sunlight fades both label and contents.