Glenury Royal 36 years 1968 - 2005

Founded in 1825 by Robert Barclay, the distillery took its name from the valley running through the Ury district. Just weeks after opening, a major fire destroyed the stocks of barley along with the kiln and parts of the malt floor. Glenury Royal's malt floors were closed in 1968. The distillery then continued to produce malt whisky for almost two more decades, but finally shut down in May 1985. In 1992, the owners decided to sell the distillery and 1 year later this happened. A real estate company became the owner and created flats on the site where the distillery first stood. This makes Glenury Royal one of the closed distilleries.
 

Origin and bottling

This very rare 36-year-old Glenury Royal is made from Single Malt Whisky distilled in the year 1968 and was released in Diageo Special Releases 2005. Only 2,100 bottles of this special bottling were released worldwide.

Cask type

It is not officially known what type of cask was used here. It is expected to have been mainly American oak casks, but we have no proof.

Tasting note

Colour

Deep amber

Nose

Deliciously soft and highly aromatic, with a lovely flavour. The nose is lively, complex, full and deep for its age. There are scents of vanilla, black cherries and cooked apricots. Behind this, a leathery, masculine note emerges, with spicy overtones. Water softens all these aromas into delicate notes of soft leather and wedding cake.

Taste

The rich, soft theme continues in the body, which is velvety and mouth-filling. On the palate, it starts smoky and then reveals layers of flavour. A box of sandalwood with turkey delight, dried fruit and black plum, says one expert. It is soft and sweet, with a good balance of primary flavours, all subtle.

Finish

A little water makes the aftertaste even milder, the whisky is wonderfully smooth and, as you would expect, very long.

Overall impression

This is liquid history. The question is always why is this closed, because they can make wonderful whiskies.

This Glenury Royal 36 years 1968 - 2005 gets an average score on WhiskyBase of 90.27/100 points

Serge Valentin rated this whisky on his blog page WhiskyFun.com with 92/100 points.