Glenkinchie isn't typically top of mind when it comes to Scotch - maybe that should change? We'll have to give it a taste first of course.

Glenkinchie is a Lowland Scotch with a distillery set in a picturesque farmland just 15 miles from Edinburgh, it currently belongs to Diageo and front runs as one of the whisky giant's core regional malts - basically Diageo's face for the Lowland region of Scotch whiskymaking.

The Lowlands has 7 operational distilleries as of 2015, whilst a significantly smaller region like Speyside has over 50 distilleries and produces more than 50% of all Scotch. 

The reality is that there aren't that many Lowland Scotch distilleries to choose from - increasingly so, that is true, but compared to the more popular Speyside and Highlands, it is still a small whisky producing region. That's worth mentioning because the region does have a style that is known - and highly regarded - for, that is a floral, meadow-y, buttery flavour and texture profile. In fact some of Scotch whisky's legends once hailed from the Lowlands.

Which incidentally ties in with Glenkinchie as well. One of Scotch whisky's most mythical distilleries is Rosebank, which by the way, was only recently revived - now whether or not it is able to produce whiskies of its past is another question altogether. But anyway, Glenkinchie has a little bit of infamy being billed as the distillery that killed Rosebank.

That's more sensationalism than anything - the reality is that in the early 1900s, Glenkinchie, Rosebank, St Magdalene (another almost-unicorn), and a few other Lowland distilleries all came together to form a consortium known as the Scottish Malt Distillers (or SMD), which later merged with Distillers Company Ltd (or DCL), which itself eventually was acquired by Guinness to eventually lead to what is today Diageo.

Glenkinchie Distillery.

Come the 1980s and the Scotch industry was facing a huge bust and the company that would become Diageo had to make a choice of keeping one Lowland distillery - that would either be Glenkinchie or Rosebank. 

While at the time, Rosebank was regarded as the better whiskymaker, it was also more inefficient (some argue that this was the price of quality), had a smaller capacity and also sat next to a derelict canal that would cost millions to fix. Glenkinchie on the other hand sat in an idyllic farmland and could simply produce more whisky needed for Diageo's blends. It was thus decided that Rosebank would shutter, and Glenkinchie would be elevated to being part of Diageo's Classic Malts series. Which honestly, all things considered was a commercially wise move - which is fair considering that Diageo is after all, a commercial entity. Sure it's not what the hardcore fans would've wanted, but where were they back in the 1980s to singlehandedly bolster demand? It often strikes me as a hindsight is 20-20 sort of thing.

Since then Diageo has put in great efforts and resources to elevating the Glenkinchie name - not to much success. Of course there's many reasons, but personally it seems more a case of poor education and branding, and also a matter of flavour profile - not enough folks know about Glenkinchie and its story and processes, and secondly the Lowland profile whilst beloved amongst hardcore whisky fans for its elegance and subtlety, is for that same reason not one of those smash you in face sort of whiskies like Talisker or Lagavulin. In that sense, I'm pretty certain most Talisker or Lagavulin fans aren't fans of Rosebank either, no matter how highly regarded the once-lost-now-revived distillery is.

And so today we're going to try some Glenkinchie for ourselves - onward!

Glenkinchie 12 Years Single Malt - Review

Tasting Notes

Color: Light Gold

Aroma: Lots of fresh springtime or meadow scents here - pressed flowers, tall grass, hay, daisies, chrysanthemums - it’s really floral, not so much in a perfumery way but more as if you were strolling through the countryside. There’s a light bit of honey, alittle more on pear and apple candy, peaches, lemons - the fruits are a mix of fresh and candied fruits. More beeswax, some toffee, sugared almonds and Honey Stars cereal. Some more scents of walking through a springtime forest.

Taste: More waxy here - maltose candy, beeswax, more of that pear and apple candy, alittle bit of custard apple, melon Hi-Chew candy, and then more honey with a light sprinkle of black pepper and cocoa powder. 

Finish: It’s abit more spicy here, with alittle bit more leafy greens and woodiness coming through. Lingering aftertaste of spiced honey - alittle herbal and herbaceous too like a cough drop.

My Thoughts

Just judging by the length of each segment of the tasting note, you can quite quickly tell the aroma was where the party was at - a very lovely Lowland true to life aroma of springtime meadows or walking through a forest. Absolutely enjoyable, it’s so well-expressed and all encompassing that you could get lost in it - it’s really floral, lightly sweet and rather fruity.

On the palate, it’s actually quite hefty and flavour forward, with more of a waxiness and fruits which was very enjoyable albeit not particularly striking or griping - I suppose it wasn’t anything you’d write an email about (although I am writing this tasting note). It does show a nice progression onto the finish with more spiciness and leafiness here, but again nothing too challenging.

All in, this was very enjoyable - but with a killer nose like that, it’s a tough act to follow for what I got on the palate which was simple but nowhere as complex or distinctive. Neither offensive nor inoffensive - it’s just not bad.

It has serious potential though! I'd have a bottle on the standby in my homebar.

My Rating: 7/10

Score/Rating Scale :

• 9-10 : Exceptional, highly memorable, 10/10 would buy if I could.
• 7-8 : Excellent, well above most in its category, worth considering buy-zone.
• 4-6 : Good, okay, alright; a few flaws, but acceptable; not bad, but not my personal preference; still worth trying, could be a buy if the price is right.
• 1-3 : Not good; really did not enjoy; wouldn't even recommend trying.
• 0 : Un-scored, might be damaged, new make, or very unusual.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot