March 8, 2016
GLENKINCHIE 1986, DISTILLER’S EDITION, Double Matured, 43vol
From the rich agricultural countryside of East Lothian comes Glenkinchie, the Classic Malt of the Lowlands. As the distillery is so close to the capital city, it is also known as The Edinburgh Malt.
Few years ago, friends and I found ourselves in the old, historic city of Edinburgh. The cold weather coupled with icy rain, made us skip the popular Royal mile and head to the classic lowland distillery of Glenkinchie. The lowlands whiskies are after all known for their delicate and subtle flavours. Ambling along the picturesque fields, we walked along the water from the Lammernuir Hills, which lend the slightly chalky flavour to the whisky from this distillery. Interestingly, this is one of the few double cask matured whisky, which leads it to have a complex taste of sherry with the freshness of cinnamon.
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On the nose: It has a light floral smell with spices and lemon.
On the palate: The first taste hits your palate with sweet and dry notes, balanced out by the amontillado sherry casks. The complexity of the whisky comes in play when you find yourself tasting the nuttiness and saltiness soothed by the sweetness of the sherry again. Towards the end you find yourself soothed by the lingering notes of sweet fruits and velvety texture.
In all, though an expensive whisky, it is sophisticated and well worth the value. Unlike the peaty ones, you could have this without adding the usual dash of water. This light-bodied whisky with port-like overtones is certainly worth adding to your list of must-haves.