WhiskyNotes » Glenury Royal

Glenury Royal 1968

Ruben — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:29:29 +0000

Glenury Royal could claim ‘royal’ in its name thanks to a friend of the founder, Captain Robert Barclay. The distillery was founded in 1825 and its license was cancelled in 1992. The site was sold for residential estate.

This 36 year old Glenury Royal was part of the Diageo Special Releases of 2005. Only 2100 bottles were made available at around € 600. It seems it has never been a great seller because recently they were offered in different shops for as low as € 200.

Glenury Royal 36 yo 1968
(51,2%, OB 2005, 2100 btl.)

Nose: scented and floral with a significant amount of oak polish and sawdust. A bit of vanilla. Mango. Hints of parma violets and lavender, but not really perfumy. Some peaches and apple compote. Gets quite leathery and chalky. Some peaty / farmy notes but they seem to disappear as soon as you pinpoint them. A complex and rewarding note. Fresh, fruity with a distinct ‘oldness’ to it at the same time. Quite lovely. Mouth: very juicy and fat, building up much more peat now. Lots of spices from the oak, sawdust and again a leathery foundation. Hints of smoke and roasted nuts. Some bitterness and herbal notes towards the finish. Finish: long, slightly bitter, with toasted oak, nuts and varnish.

A very complex malt with a unique but slightly difficult character. It seems to continuously switch between fruity notes, herbal notes, freshness, harshness and many other things… Still available with a nice discount.

Score: 91/100

Glenury Royal 1971 23yo (Rare Malts)

Ruben — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:00:42 +0000

This Glenury Royal 1971 was part of the first Rare Malts releases in 1995. Two other bottlings would follow. In recent years, mostly spectacular versions have been released, like a 50 year-old and a couple of 36 year-olds. The distillery was closed in 1983 and later demolished, just like most of its neighbours (Glenesk, Lochside, Nort Port).

Glenury Royal 23 yo 1971
(61,3%, Rare Malts 1995)

Nose: delicately fragrant. Sweet nectar. A clear sherry influence with apples, pears and oranges followed by spices (cinnamon, hints of ginger, nutmeg). Quite sweet and fruity but there seem to be delicate drops of peat in the background. Good balance with the oak, which is definitely present but not overpowering. Some vanilla. At times it even had a medicinal edge (iodine? menthol?). Complex and quite unique. Mouth: mouth-coating, with even more wood influence now, very warming. Some honey and plenty of fruit. Lots of spices again. Still hints of peat but overall maybe a little less convincing than the nose. Finish: slightly drying (wood you know) with lingering spices.

A high quality malt with a full, fruity and spicy presence. Very rare. Worth around € 250-300.

Score: 90/100

Thanks for the sample, Dirk!

Glenury Royal 1973 (TWA & The Nectar)

Ruben — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 06:01:00 +0000

At the Limburg festival, The Whisky Agency presented a whole line of joint bottlings with The Nectar, which is probably our biggest Belgian importer and the company behind the Daily Dram range.

There’s a Caol Ila 1979, Glenlossie 1975, Longmorn 1973, Tomatin 1966, Glen Keith 1970, Highland Park 1975 and this Glenury Royal 1975. All pretty great.

Glenury Royal 37 yo 1973 (43%,
The Whisky Agency & The Nectar 2011, bourbon hogshead, 146 btl.)

Nose: honeyed nose with apple pie and caramelized sugar. Baked pear, raisins, apricots. Maybe a little papaya. Some nutty notes. Hay. Soft spices (cinnamon, mint). Nicely mellow and “antique” at the same time. Mouth: a bit too soft, but smooth and juicy, showing mainly oranges, both fresh and candied. Pears as well. Developing a spicy side (mint, clove, aniseed) and tobacco which makes it quite oriental. Honey. Some resinous oak and herbal tea. Faint paraffin notes. Finish: not too long, but nicely minty with a bit of drying oak.

Very good whisky, but quite expensive: around € 240 while last year’s Glenury Royal 1973 from the same bottler was only € 180.