Apart from being part of the original Classic Malts series, with the usual couple of versions available, and the very rare special bottling by Diageo, Glenkinchie is very hard to find as independent bottlings.
The few I have tried have been magnificient. So it is a very hidden gem
Glenkinchie
I mentioned before a few distilleries that has improved, and when Glenkinchie last year went from 10yo to 12yo with their standard expression it was another one for the list. I still believe we haven't seen the best from this distillery ..yet (hopefully)
It's also a very nice distillery to visit, the tour starts with a museum, that includes a miniature model of a distillery
Distillery model
After the tour you enter a wee bar with the possibility to try out a few drams, depending on what kind of tour you paid for. I wish they included a cask strength sample here !
1. Glenkinchie 1975 33yo bottled by A.D. Rattray 60.7%
Refill Hogshead cask #2967. Distilled 6th August 1975, bottled 3rd November 2008
The ABV of this bottling is remarkable high. I can't recall seeing a lot of whiskies with higher ABV. And the age combined with ABV is more or less sensational!
I am pretty sure this has been laid down at full strength, not the 63.5% which seems to be almost industry standard these days. Other Diageo bottlings from this era has the same high ABV, just recalling some rare Malts Collection bottlings I have seen.
This is intense stuff and not for the faint hearted. Luckily I got experience consuming Staggs, which can have ABV's of 71+ so I know what to do
This I just have to consume dropwise. I love the explosion of taste these drops do on your palate. Great stuff
The nose is sweet ripe fruits..Classic old whisky from forgotten days, but what an ABV to mask it!. This takes time, care and concentration to drink
If you follow one of the endless whiskygurus who has a habit of telling you exactly how a whisky must and should be drunk, this whisky will teach you to find your own way of doing things
33yo Glenkinchie
The palate is an explosion of spicy wood, sweet ripe fruits which follow the great nose on the same pattern, with the wood, which was more or less absent in the nose, now entering the stage
The finish is long and spicy and some bitterness. It stays forever under the sides of your tongue!
Rating 86 - but this won't be everybody's cup of Gevalia
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