Glen Keith 1993 Connoisseurs Choice

By Barry Bradford on June 14, 2016 • ( Leave a comment )

Glen Keith 12 Years Old 1993 Connoisseurs Choice (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, 2005)

Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky
Origin: Glen Keith Distillery
Bottling: Gordon & MacPhail; Connoisseurs Choice
ABV: 46%
Cost: £40.34

What they say:

Colour

Pale Straw.

Body

Light.

Finish

Hints of fruit and herbal flavours.

Cask Type

Refill American Hogsheads.

Style

Fresh, zesty with drier tones on the palate.

AROMA without water

Fresh fruit aromas – apples, bananas and grape must. A sweet floral hint – bubblegum. Some chocolate and vanilla notes also present.

TASTE without water

Peppery notes again with floral herbal flavours. Slightly drying with wood elements present.

AROMA with water

More aromatic with malt and cereal elements. Some more floral aromas remain with a subtle sweetness.

TASTE with water

Peppery and spicy initially followed by a sweet, slightly fruity element. Hints of cedar wood.

What I say:

Spotted as a 5ml miniature in a gift shop during a recent visit to Loch Ness, I decided this slightly older CC bottling of Glen Keith was worthy of the ~£5 price tag and duly purchased it before stopping for lunch (& whisky!) at Fiddlers in Drumnadrochit. A great day all round.

Colour:

Bright and refractive 18ct gold (8/20) slow-forming medium-sized tears leave fine legs

Nose:

Sweet citrus fruits, lemon and lime zest, biscuit cereal barley malt, heather honey, orchard fruits; apple and peach, sponge cake mix/batter, grassy and dry hay

Taste:

Zesty and citric, biscuit cereal barley malt, stone fruits; peach and apricot, as well as apples and a touch of pink/red grapefruit, slightly bitter with an astringency of green oak wood, and familiar vanilla and coconut notes

Finish:

Medium, bitter-sweet honeyed fruits

Overall:

Another pleasant sipping whisky, quite sweet and biscuit which we have come to recognise as core to Glen Keith distillate. This has only a modicum of cask influence so represents quite a well balanced spirit/cask profile allowing the better attributes of each to shine.