Historic Distilleries: Glen Keith (about to re-open this year?)

So, maybe not as historic anymore, as when I planned these sessions.. Glen Keith was mothballed from 1999 and its future looked bleak, but thanks to the public consumption of Chivas Regal, Glen Keith now seems to once again start producing whisky, the rumor has it that'll be sometime in 2013. Glen Keith has always been a strong workhorse for blends such as Passport Blends, and in the future, hopefully new owners Chivas. It's also a pretty young distillery built as late as 1957. More than that they've already produced both tripple-distilled whisky and peated whisky. The great Glen Keiths may have been few and far between, but as the distillation have been as steady as an earthquake, no wonder. But some of the stuff they've made, especially some released from IB's have been superb. Very little is traditional at Glen Keith, being a quite young distillery they were also the first one to use gas fired stills in 1970. In 1980 microprocessors were installed to control mashing, milling and distilling. A technical centre and laboratory were added later. In that case one could suggest Glen Keith Distillery more of a Guinea Pig for the industry than as a serious prospect for steady distillation of great whisky. Time to try this one and get to know what kind of whisky was really produced there. It'll be fun to watch how much of the future produce Chivas will release as single malts or release to IB's as single malts. Let's hope everybody can enjoy good Glen Keith in the future.



Glen Keith 13yo 1995-2008 43% Chieftain's Choice cask#44146,44148,44150

I purchased this bottle of, my first one ever, Glen Keith back in 2009, so I poured a sample right away to keep for times like this. The rest of the bottle was generously shared with friends. In fact, this bottling and a couple of samples from others made me sort of luke-warm to Glen Keith, but more recent bottlings (older ones!) have shown to be better. The color is pale golden. It smells of sweet vanilla, strawberry bubble gum, peaches, green tea, pisange liqueur, nice, clean, fruity, but also short and hardly complex. As I remember I think reading somewhere that this was a peated Glen Keith, but that I'd never guessed by the nose. The taste is sweet, acidic, rubbery, bitter, herbal, some earthy and sweet notes, latex, chalk, pencil eraser and tonic water that is. Very unlikely and not very pleasant. Let's add water. Now it turns more rubbery, nutty, some honey and floral notes, kiwi, butter, fish oil, rhubarb, vanilla, hay. The finish is short-lived with little to it except a small hint of what resembles a peppery note. Surely a light-weighter in every sense of the word, except the actual weight.

To have in a mixed drink of some kind?: 3.5


Glen Keith 30yo 1978-2008 46% Daily Dram "Keen Light"

Daily Dram used to bottle some whisky using monograms of the distilleries as titles. So was often a fun brainer to spot which distillery the whisky came from. This one at 30yo is one of the oldest Glen Keith's I've had, but I'm a bit bummed they didn't bottle at CS. The color is golden. It smells dry, peppery, rubbery, ginger, bath salt, drying oak, bitter, lime peel, vinegar. Definitively a fino-driven Glen Keith. Some green apples and pear drops in the background, also peat. The taste is extremely dry, tannic, burning, peppery, lamp oil, gasoline, one that does need water or I'll wave my tastebuds goodbye. With added water it becomes sweeter, some hay, vanilla, grape juice, grapefruit, bitter, white syrup, grenadine. The finish is bitter on herbs, coriander, parsley, olive oil, banana leaves and orange zest.

Bitter and big whisky, if you love your dry fino sherry, you'll adore this: 4


Glen Keith 19yo 1990-2009 52.9% Part des Anges Closed Distilleries cask#13677

From a bourbon barrel, I haven't seen this series for a while, but I guess they're maybe lurking around warmer waters. The color is golden. It smells of sweet vanilla and black pepper. Some burnt notes, blackberries, burnt oak, butter, malty, oaky, pretty standard whisky, seems younger than 19yo. This could be any young highlander/speysider. The taste is peppery, vanilla, oaky, grainy, floral, herbal, bok choi, nestles, rhubarb, not a very pleasant one. This is more lowland style if you ask me, Littlemill and Bladnoch comes to mind. Perhaps some water will help it along a bit. With water it turns more oaky, vanilla, clay, earthy, peas, chicken stock, mild chili, dried coriander, significant improvement in my opinion. The finish is buttery and peppery, gingerbread, and dark chocolate.

Water is really a lifesaver here: 6.5


Glen Keith 21yo 1991-2012 54.2% The Nectar of the Daily Dram

Another 1990's Glen Keith, lets hope this slightly higher strength will make it excel up towards an 7 or an 8 if I'm lucky. But then again it could go both ways. The color on this one is deep golden. It smells of butter, charcoal, nestles, lentils, beans, earthy, burnt, dry roasted beef, rubber. The taste is bitter, salty licorice, eucalyptus, blackberries, leather, a really raw-ish malt. I can't stop wondering why all of these whiskies seems so bitter. Perhaps its a bit of Glen Keiths spirits usual profile. Now lets add water. The taste is now more floral, heather, unripe apples, banana leaves, bitter fruity would be the style I guess.

A whisky that seems younger than its age, and quite tamed as well: 4.5


Glen Keith 25yo 1974-1999 52.7% James MacArthur's

Now we're talking, a Glen Keith chosen and bottled when the distillery weren't on any hype due to closure, as an collectors item or investment or other such things. That sure isn't a guarantee for success, but often makes for a better cask as other sensations would not sell this whisky alone. The color is pale bronze. It smells of sweet licorice, honey, tannins, white wine, gunsmoke, leather, marzipan, moscatel wine. Now this is most enticing! The taste is sweet, honey, sweet sherry, marzipan, cinnamon, strawberries, gingerbread, mustard, some nice layers of vanilla and tarry smoke, even some iodine. This is great stuff, and for once with a Glen Keith in the glass, I won't add any water. It seems this sherry cask(s) (I presume) really classes up the spirit which seems less bitter in this older distillate. The finish is bitter, peppery, duck liver, dark chocolate, grapefruit. Longlasting finish!

Great Glen Keith, one of the few I've had thus far: 8


Glen Keith 26yo 1968-1994 62.5% James MacArthur's

Even older Glen Keith from JMcA. And this time at a very high strength too. Another strength on the new-make? Or just a very tight cask? Who knows, lets taste. The color is deep golden. It smells of alcohol, spirity, black markers, resinous, rubber, glue, extremely raw. But lets be brave and try it without water first. The taste is sweet, perfumy, nutty, orange juice, white wine, cream, grenadine, nice and fruity at first before the high strength strikes with some spirity notes. But this is far from as volatile as the nose suggested, and just a pinch of water can, and I hope, will make a difference here. Water added. Now it turns more peppery, starchy, grainy, definitively shouldn't have added water. The finish is short and peppery with water, when neat it was more spirity and sugary. Why did they stop the triple distillation practice in 1970? This is good stuff!

Without water this was a revelation on the palate, I'm struggling a bit more with the nose and finish: 7


Glen Keith-Glenlivet 22yo 1973-1995 57.1% Cadenhead's

The color on this oldie is pale golden. Bottled back when "-Glenlivet" was an ending Cadenhead's used on many of their bottlings from lesser known distilleries. It smells wheat, yeasty, rich vanilla, red berries, some licorice and raw onions. The taste is all on citrus, lemon, oranges, grapefruit, white grapes, lemon meringue, white plums, a very delicate one despite being 57.5%abv. I will not add any water to this. It also has some peat going on, white pepper, dried onions, gingery, grenadine, rhubarb, a great bourbon-matured Glen Keith. The finish is drying, peppery, tongue numbing, finally the strength kicks in.

Very well made old Glen Keith, bottled in its prime: 7.5

(Glen keith Back in the days, or just after construction???)

(Mothballed distillery awaiting news on its future back in 2006, the pagoda was raised by current owners)














Next Tasting: Glenglassaugh Distillery (I know, probably not that historic anymore that one either)