Glen Keith Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 70cl

Product Information

Regardless of whether the Service offers the functionality to contribute, you are solely responsible and liable for any content and information that you create, upload, post, publish, link to, duplicate, transmit, record, display or otherwise make available on the Service or to other Members, such as chat messages, text messages, videos, audio, audio recordings, music, pictures, photographs, text and any other information or materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted (“Contributions”). An official bottling of Glen Keith – the only one in recent years, I believe, unless you count the Chivas Brothers bottlings as officials. As you know the distillery was mothballed in 1999 until they reopened in 2013. Completed in 1958, Glen Keith was the first distillery to open in Speyside post the whisky boom in the 1890’s. Smell: Toffee apples. Pear. Caramel. Orange. Plenty of honey. Malt. Digestive biscuits. Pencil shavings. Oak.

The early 20th century was a tough time for the distillers of Scotland. The industry was enduring a massive downturn even before the First World War and Prohibition came along, add the Great Depression and a second War and you have an impossible situation for even the healthiest of businesses. All over the country distilleries ceased to operate and the Speyside region that once rode the crest of the wave that was the Victorian whisky boom saw its hitherto relentless expansion abruptly halted, then reversed. Glen Keith is a prime example. A fairly new arrival at the time of its inception after a period of slumber for distillery building on Speyside. Previously a flour mill, it is often overlooked in favour of the nearby Strathisla distillery which possesses the fairy tale exterior for any Scottish distillery visitor. Any distillery would be overshadowed by such a nearby glamorous presence. If only those looks matched the whisky it produces, eh? Whiskybase B.V. (“Whiskybase”, “we” or “us”, company details below) offers a whisky enthusiasts online platform that provides its members access to the most comprehensive, transparent and trusted resource of whisky bottles and allows and stimulates its members to contribute information about whisky bottles to the platform (“Service”). No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service.For 60 long years the region remained stagnant until Canadian distilling giant Seagram’s, then owners of Chivas Brothers, began work on Glen Keith in 1957. Situated inside a former oat mill, across the River Isla from Strathisla, the new plant was up and running by 1960, inadvertently firing the starter pistol for a new wave of expansion across the industry. Grain distilleries opened at Invergordon and Girvan. Glenfarclas and Dalmore expanded. Glenturret and Caperdonich were rebuilt and a new crop of malt distilleries came onto the scene, including Deanston and Tormore. It ran triple-distilled malt from the word go and alternated it with double distilled until the 1980s, ran trials with a wheat mash, was the first distillery to use gas-fired direct heating (all its stills are now steam-driven) and in its time also produced heavy peated variants [Glenisla] one made with peat smoke being passed through water which was then concentrated and the other in the normal manner. There were also trials with different yeast types. The fact that the stills were different shapes and sizes helped in these innovative trials. Whiskybase B.V. is the Dutch private limited liability company, having its statutory seat in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and its office at Zwaanshals 530, 3035 KS Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Whiskybase B.V. is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under no. 52072819. Each and every Member must be of legal drinking age in its country of residence to be allowed to use the Service. If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service. We have the right to ask you to provide proof of your age and/or to provide further identification to prevent underage usage and/or for any other legal or legitimate purpose. By using the Service, and by creating an account you represent, warrant and confirm that you are of legal age.

The distillery opened in 1960, but the first official bottling of Glen Keith, a 10-year-old, wasn’t released until 1994. Classic Glen Keith with soft pears, apples and icing sugar. The room fills with summer vibes as I pour this into the glass. Already, I know this is going to deliver. Cold marble, raisins and cinnamon prove an irresistible combination. White grapes, marzipan and a gentle flush of vanilla. Floral and buttery as well. Delightful and beautifully balanced. A classic example of a Speyside whisky.

Recently viewed

The distillery was mothballed in 1999, but was reopened in 2013 by Chivas Brothers’ owner Pernod Ricard following a complete refurbishment. For a moment there it seemed Glen Keith would’ve been added to the annals of Scotch whisky history, when it was mothballed by Seagrams. David Stirk of the Creative Whisky Company even included a single cask Glen Keith in his acclaimed Tony Koehl Series, a quartet of whiskies from closed distilleries completed by Imperial, Littlemill and Caperdonich. Taste: Caramel and toffee. Vanilla. Apple, pear and orange – lots of citrus. Cinnamon. Dark chocolate and oak. The Speyside distillery, located near Strathisla in Keith, produces a light and fruity style of single malt that’s predominantly used in the Chivas Regal, Passport and 100 Pipers blends. This Glen Keith raises the bar in pricing and also a sense of exclusivity; not just numerical, but the joy of something memorable. With the exception of those chasing peat or sherry, I cannot see anyone truly being disappointed by this experience. A dram that should prompt you to explore Glen Keith in greater detail. So, for Gregor, this can only be a…