Glen Keith 1992 (Archives) Review - Craigellachie 1991 (Scott's Selection) Review, Miltonduff 10 Years (Gordon & MacPhail) Review - Glen Grant 1990 (Gordon & MacPhail) Review


“A Quartet of Indie Speysiders”

Introduction:

Most of you know that I mainly use samples and miniatures when preparing my Reviews. I usually buy these in Holland and sometimes in Germany or the UK. Sometimes I receive samples from friends or readers or independent bottlers. In only two cases I received a few samples directly from distilleries. When planning my reviews for the coming months I always try to give attention to all Scottish Whisky regions as well as other Whisky/Whiskey/Bourbon producing regions all over the world with special attention to the USA, Ireland and Japan. And last but not least the blends. At the request of many readers I give preference to more recent expressions. As a result my backlog of older samples has increased quite a bit. To do justice to those samples I will review them in the format of Specials. These specials will deal with a specific region like today or with specific bottlers, countries or distilleries. The reviews in these Specials will concentrate on the Whisky and won't go into details about distilleries, maturation etc. I do hope you will like these Specials just as much as my regular reviews and I look forward to your reactions and suggestions. Today's special will look at 4 Single Malts from Speyside bottled by various Independent Bottlers. Enjoy!
=================================================

Glen Keith 1992 Arc

Whisky Review # 664

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Glen Keith 1992
Bottled by: Whiskybase - Archives - The Fishes of Samoa Series
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky
Age: 21 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 51.5%
Maturation: Bourbon cask # 120599 (218 Bottles) 
Chill Filtration: No   
Buying Advice: 😐 Neutral. Good Malt. A few flaws. Rather expensive. 

Colour: Chardonnay (Natural Colour)

Nose: Relatively Light for a 21 Year old Single Malt. Quite pleasant though with lots of Fruit and Malt. The Alcohol has integrated reasonably well despite the high ABV. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Salted Caramel, Butter Kekse (German Butter Biscuits), Puff Pastry, Vanilla, Hay, Grass, Raisins, Heather-Honey, Wax, Peach, Saw Dust, Floral Soap, Apple, Pear, Pineapple, Orange, Latte Macchiato, Almond Paste and traces of Lemon Grass, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Wood Polish, Papaya Cream and Menthol. There is also a hint of Dark Red Fruit but I can't quite pin it down. Nice laid-back Nose. Good cask.     

Palate: Bitter-Sweet, Herbal, slightly Sour and Medium Dry. The Alcohol is more present now. I find Toasted Barley, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Honey, Vanilla, Mandarin, Plums, Banana, Pineapple, Toasted Oak, Straw, Dried Herbs, Licorice, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cocoa Powder, Dried Apricot, Menthol and traces of Tobacco and Wood Polish.  

Finish: Mostly Sweet. A few Bitter, Sour and Herbal notes towards the Medium-Dry end. The Alcohol is even more noticeable by now. I find Toasted Barley, Butter Kekse, Salted Caramel, Dough, Grass, Hay, Vanilla, Orange-Flavoured Chocolate, Cocoa Powder, Pear, Apple, Heather-Honey, Latte Macchiato, Menthol, Licorice, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and a slight Rubbery off-note. 

Rating: 85    

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21   

Conclusion:

The Glen Keith I'm reviewing today was distilled in October 1992 and was bottled at Cask Strength in March 2014. Glen Keith's production is mainly used in well-known Blends such as Chivas Regal and Passport. A few bottles of this Archives expression can still be found on the Internet. Prices are in the 160-190 US$ range. Let's see if it's worth that kind of money. The Nose is very nice with all kinds of Fruit but on the Palate Wood and Spices become very prominent and I didn't care for the light Rubbery off-note in the Finish. If Palate and Finish were as good as the Nose I would fully recommend buying a bottle. As it stands however I find the current price a little too stiff for the total package. 

Image illustrative de l'article Glen Keith

=================================================

Craigellachie 1991 Sc

Whisky Review # 665

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Craigellachie 1991
Bottled by: Scott's Selection
Type: Single Malt Single Cask Whisky
Age: 20 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 55.8%
Maturation: Bourbon cask # 2712 (225 Bottles) 
Chill Filtration: No   
Buying Advice: 😜 Bored with mainstream? Then give this a try!  

Colour: White Wine/Pale Straw (Natural Colour)

Nose: The Alcohol is there so you will have to find your way around it. Quite different from the Glen Keith by the way. The Glen Keith was pleasant and quite balanced on the Nose but this Craigellachie is still Nervous and Edgy even after 20 years. Less interaction with the cask. The Nose is mainly Sweet but there are quite a few Mineral and Green notes as well. I find Toasted Breakfast Cereals, slightly Burnt Toast with a mix of Butter & Margarine, Farm Yard, Grass, Straw, Vanilla, Wet Sand, Bread Dough, Nuts and Nutshells, Heather-Honey, Cooked Vegetables, Sweet Apple, Pear Drops, Orange, Unripe Strawberries, Muesli Bars, Salted Caramel, Pepper, Nutmeg, Refill Wood and traces of Cherry-Flavoured Candies and Cinnamon. It's all a bit untidy as Field Marshall Montgomery used to say.

Palate: Sweet and Funky. Good Delivery thanks to the high ABV. It remains a bit of a mess but there's a certain flair here that I can't deny. It's the best part of this Malt in my view. I find Toasted Cereals, Salted Caramel, Apricot Jam, Orange-Flavoured Dark Chocolate, Toasted Oak, Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Nuts, Sweet Apple, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, Licorice, Menthol, and Aniseed. Unripe Pineapples perhaps.    

Finish: Middle-Long but Powerful thanks to the high ABV. Malt, Oak and Spice rule in this department. I find Toasted Cereals, Salted Caramel, Bitter Chocolate, Orange Peel, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cardamom, Licorice, Aniseed, Menthol and traces of Dried Fruit like Apricot and Sultanas.   

Rating: 83.5   

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 21   

Conclusion

This Craigellachie was distilled in 1991 and bottled at Cask Strength in October 2011. Craigellachie is of course the home of the Dewar's Blends. The 1991 Single Malt I'm tasting today is certainly an interesting whisky. Not at all boring like many of today's mainstream Single Malts. It is quite funky actually albeit it also a bit nervous, edgy and unbalanced. The best part for me is the Palate and that's highly unusual. You can still buy this Single Malt at around US$ 140. That's not cheap of course and I don't think everybody will like this Craigellachie as it clearly has a mind of its own. But if you're the adventurous type that is easily bored with today's mainstream stuff you might give this one a try! 
Related image

=================================================


Whisky Review # 666

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Miltonduff
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: A mix of First-Fill and Refill Sherry casks  
Chill Filtration: No    
Buying Advice: 😐 Neutral. Simple Speyside Malt with Good P/Q ratio.  

Colour: Light Golden (Original Colour)

Nose: Quite Light but not unpleasant. Fruity and Floral. The Sherry casks are noticeable but not overly so. Mostly refill casks I would say. I find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Heather-Honey, Hay, Grass, Charred Oak, Apple, Pear, Orange, Peach, slightly Sour Berries, Fresh Herbs, White Wine, Milk Chocolate, Green Vegetables, Bread Dough and a sprinkle of Lemon. Simple and quite inoffensive.  

Palate: Light and on the Thin Side. An ABV of 40% hardly ever convinces. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Butterscotch, Caramel, Hay, Straw, Heather-Honey, Red Apple, Orange, Sour Gooseberries, Fresh Herbs, Green Vegetables, Hazelnuts, Charred Oak, Pepper, Licorice and Sugared Tea.     

Finish: Rather short and a bit Thin. Mostly Sweet but with some Sour and Bitter notes towards the surprisingly Dry end. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Caramel, a mix of Nuts, Apple, Orange, Green Vegetables, Charred Oak, Alcohol, Pepper and light Licorice and Menthol.

Rating: 81    

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 19.5 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20.5   

Conclusion

Miltonduff is mostly known for its contribution to the Ballantine Blends. It's very difficult to find a Single Malt of this Distillery other than the 10 Years bottled by Gordon & MacPhail that I'm reviewing today. There's not much to say about this Malt I'm afraid. It's a simple entry Speysider without any highs or lows. But at around US$ 40, the Price/Quality ratio is quite good. Nice for beginning Whisky drinkers but too simple for advanced Malt fans. 
Related image

=================================================


Whisky Review # 667

Country: Scotland
Region: Speyside
Brand: Glen Grant 1990
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 17 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: Bourbon casks  
Chill Filtration: No    
Buying Advice:  😐 Neutral. Simple Speyside Malt with Good P/Q ratio.

Colour: Light Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose: Light. In a Blind Tasting I wouldn't have given this Malt seventeen years. It smells Younger and still quite Fresh. Good but not overly active Bourbon casks. This Glen Grant is mildly Sweet, Fruity and Floral on the Nose. I find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Caramel, Heather-Honey, Raisins, Red Apple, Peach, Ripe Banana, Pineapple, Nectarine, Citrus, Grass, Milk Chocolate, Saw Dust, Wax, Floral Soap and traces of Resin, Ginger and Aniseed.   

Palate: Creamy but Thin at the same time. I find Sweet Malt, Caramel, Toffee, Golden Syrup, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Grass, Hay, Hazelnut, Red Apple, Pear, Citrus, Nectarine, Charred Oak, Milk Chocolate, Fresh Herbs, Pepper, Ginger, Aniseed, Licorice, Menthol and Cinnamon.      

Finish: Rather Short and on the Thin side. Sugary Sweet on the one hand  but with some Bitter and Sour notes toward the Medium-Dry end. I find Sweet Malt, Caramel, Vanilla, Golden Syrup, Toffee, Nectarine, Citrus, Hazelnuts, Charred Oak, Sugared Tea, Licorice, Menthol, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and a bit of Cocoa Powder.

Rating: 80     

Nose: 21 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 20   

Conclusion

This Glen Grant might be difficult to find but it's not at all expensive for its age. I have seen prices at around US$ 40. Excellent Price/Quality ratio at this price level. Like the Miltonduff I described above, this Glen Grant is a Light and Thin Entry Speysider. It's not at all bad but there's not too much of interest going on either. To be used as an Aperitif on a hot summer day. Cheers!


=================================================
Drinking Advice:
Due to the fact that I merely had small samples at my disposal, I only Nosed and Tasted these four Single Malts neat.

Jan van den Ende                                                              December 11, 2017

No comments: