Glenkinchie 2000 Distillers Edition

Whisky Review

• ABV: 43%
• Age: 13 Years Old
• Bottling: OB, Distillers Edition, G/287-7-D, Bottled 2014
• Category: Lowland single malt scotch whisky
• Cost: £66.38
• Origin: Glenkinchie distillery
• Vintage: 2000

What they say

After mellowing in a refill cask to develop the soft distillery character for a decade, a secondary maturation in a specifically chosen Amontillado cask wood ensures that all the good work continues.

Official tasting notes:

• Appearance: Golden brown.
• Nose: Brisk, sharp and brittle. An excellent nose; astonishing balance and complexity between sweet and dry. The slightly firmer, drier notes are provided by very soft vanillins and crisp grape; the sweeter, nuttier ones by the malted barley and possibly the Spanish oak.
• Taste: in brief… An intriguing whisky. Fascinating and very enjoyable. In a sentence… Balanced sweet and dry nose, enormous malt palate and long oaky, dry finish – the second maturation perfectly develops Glenkinchie’s character.
• Palate: Essentially dry following a very early burst of biscuity-sweetness. Enormous malt character, the more pronounced as it can be measured against the thin fruitiness of the grape.
• Finish: A very long offering of oak. Remains dry with very faint peppery notes – again, oak induced – spicing things up a little. Some very late caramel softens things down, though – especially when the glass has warmed in the hand.

What I say

Another Glenkinchie DE, one of two of 2000 vintage, this was bottled in 2014, slightly older than the 2013 bottled edition previous. I’m enjoying trying these wherever possible just ti see if they or my impression of them has changed over serial vintages. Likely challenged as the “Edinburgh Malt” these days, Glenkinchie is still one of the longest running ‘Queens of the Lowland Distilleries’. I tend to much prefer these DE over the standard 12 year old OB.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Dark orange gold (12/20), medium-large tears, thick legs.
• Nose: Juicy, fruity and grassy, furniture polish, wine gums, apple, grassy/hay/dry, touch of lemongrass spice, plus ginger, Madeira cake.
• Taste: Medium-bodied, smooth and silky on the palate, good fruity sweetness, peach, melon, apple, dry oak wood and spice, white pepper, ginger, then grassy, malty barley throughout/backbone, Madeira cake and vanilla sauce.
• Finish: medium-long, dry and spiced, white wine-esque, barley sugars and melon with honey.

Overall

Strikes a nice balance between sweet and dry, some woody spices and a good texture help, not as boring as some Glenkinchie can be.

Score 84/100

Don’t take my word for it:

Bloggers submit link to your review