How often do you buy, or even taste a 30 years old whisky? We certainly do very rarely.

When we came across this bottle by one of our favourite bottlers and whisky shops, we didn’t hesitate for too long. This 30yo Glen Spey by Malts of Scotland was bottled for the 50th anniversary of Van Zuylen in The Hague. It’s been three years and the bottle is long gone, but as you might know: I alway keep a sample, so it’s about time we reviewed this one.

It’s drawn from a refill sherry hogshead and bottled at cask strength, but the angels left us only 41% ABV. That doesn’t scare us away, since that often offers a very concentrated taste. Not always, but this one sure does:

This is everything I look for in a sherried whisky. One of my favourites in this category is the Glengoyne 21yo, but I’d happily trade 2 bottles of that for another one of this Glen Spey, which went for ‘just’ €150. An oldskool price for an oldskool killer of a whisky.