
October 21, 2016

Special Releases Special, today Glenkinchie

Not much Glenkinchie on WF’s shelves, so no wide choice as far as possible sparring partners are concerned. Maybe a newer batch of the regular 12 years old, given that we had just tried a 2015 expression a few months ago? And then we’ll try the new 24 years old…

Glenkinchie 12 yo (43%, OB, +/- 2016)

Last time I had thought they were making good progress, and found a recent 12 rather more to my liking than an older 10. Colour: straw. Nose: really soft, all on barley, crunchy cereal bars, apple compote, and perhaps various pies. Quince, for example? Quinces always work in whisky… A hint of oak in the background, a little green(ish). Mouth: pleasant arrival, cerealy and rather fruity. Orange-flavoured marzipan, then more apples, muesli, and a touch of ale. Gets then a little lemony, with good body. Not a super-light Lowlander! Finish: medium, with more compote and more cornflakes, plus a lemony base. A little green oak again in the aftertaste. Comments: rather more body and structure than in the old 10s. Hints at many a soft Speysider. SGP:451 - 80 points.

Glenkinchie 24 yo 1991/2016 (57.2%, OB, Special Release, 5,928 bottles)

They had a very good 20 yo 1990 a few years ago (WF 86), which I had found pretty ‘Rosebanky’. Colour: gold. Nose: a little aggressive, with quite a lot of wood varnish, broken branches, crushed fresh almonds, and simply… err, high-strength vodka. Some coconut oil too. May need water (of course it does)… With water: very nice, ripe fruits, apple juice, vanilla… A kind of high-strength pina colada with malt instead of rum. Mouth (neat): good modern style, with oranges, lemon, coconut, vanillin, and quite some green tea. Some sweet newish oak may have been used, for there is also quite some liquorice wood, with a terpenic side. With water: good roughness, not common in Glenkinchie, and I guess that’s the oak. Green tea, a spoonful of honey, sweet apples, some barley syrup… Finish: rather long, with more liquorice wood again. A little mint in the aftertaste. Comments: really to my liking, perhaps a bit between an old grain and an old malt. Some good oak seems to have been in use. SGP:451 - 85 points.

Check the index of all Glenkinchie I've tasted so far