Glenury Royal 1970 / 36 Year Old

Nose:  Perfumed and floral (roses), hint of Chinese balloons initially.  Then tinned pear, fresh ginger and a hint of clove.  Fresh red apple, then baked apple and a hint of overcooked pie crust (getting a bit Jilly Goolden here, for which apologies).  Some nice sweet notes.  Very promising.

Palate:  Carries on the good work of the nose.  Medium-to-full weight, plenty of ripe fruit notes, pressed flowers, honey and cake spices, lovely oily mouth-coating texture.  Great weight and balance - the oak is a positive presence, but not an intrusive one.  This balance allows all the nuances of flavour an equal opportunity to come forward. Somehow the alcohol is not over-powering tasted neat.

Finish: Long.  Drifts away very slowly with a lovely dance of spices and polished wood.

Comment:  Basically this is a great malt whisky.  Given the rarity of official releases from this distillery, the quality of the malt and the prevailing collector's enthusiasm for the brand (I don't like that word, but we all have to live with 'em), this is something a bit special.