Glenury Royal 1984 / 28 Year Old / Rare Old / Gordon & MacPhail Highland Whisky

Luna Chavez — Beautiful but not flawless

8/10

Gordon & MacPhail did a solid job with this cask. There's a lovely waxy honey quality on the palate with hints of orange peel and gentle oak spice. I do think the finish drops off a touch quicker than I'd expect for 28 years of age, but the journey getting there is excellent. Drank it neat, obviously.

Gianluca Ferro — Beautiful but not flawless

8/10

Gordon & MacPhail did a solid job with this cask. There's a lovely waxy honey quality on the palate with hints of orange peel and gentle oak spice. I do think the finish drops off a touch quicker than I'd expect for 28 years of age, but the journey getting there is excellent. Drank it neat, obviously.

Natasha Volkov — Worth every penny for a closed distillery

9/10

Glenury Royal closed in 1985, so finding a 28 year old from 1984 — essentially one of the last vintages — is something special. The nose is dried fruits and old leather, and at 46% it doesn't need any water at all. I sipped this neat over an hour and kept finding new things. Yes it's £900 but try finding another bottle in five years.

Clara Johansson — Worth every penny for a closed distillery

9/10

Glenury Royal closed in 1985, so finding a 28 year old from 1984 — essentially one of the last vintages — is something special. The nose is dried fruits and old leather, and at 46% it doesn't need any water at all. I sipped this neat over an hour and kept finding new things. Yes it's £900 but try finding another bottle in five years.

Priya Sharma — Worth every penny for a closed distillery

9/10

Glenury Royal closed in 1985, so finding a 28 year old from 1984 — essentially one of the last vintages — is something special. The nose is dried fruits and old leather, and at 46% it doesn't need any water at all. I sipped this neat over an hour and kept finding new things. Yes it's £900 but try finding another bottle in five years.

Tyler Bennet — Great whisky, hard price tag

7/10

Look, this is genuinely good single malt — rich dried fruit, some cedar, a nice beeswax quality. But at £900 I keep comparing it to what else I could buy. There are 25-30 year old malts from operating distilleries that come close for half the money. You're paying a premium for the Glenury Royal name and scarcity, which is fair enough if that matters to you.