Glenkinchie 12 year old review

Glenkinchie 12 year old single malt whisky is kinda new addition to the core range of this Lowland distillery. This is a entry level bottling released in 2007, replacing the 10 year old by Glenkinchie. Lowland has only six distilleries located in the region. Like the name suggests, Glenkinchie lies in a glen of the Kinchie Burn farmland near the village of Pencaitland, East Lothian. Located 15 miles from Edinburgh, making it “The Edinburgh Malt”. Founded in 1837, it was until 1989, they started to get more recognizability when United Distillers started marketing them under the Classic Malts brand (owned by Diageo nowadays).

Named as “Best Lowland Single Malt” at the 2013 World Whiskies Awards, this is a Ex-Bourbon cask matured whisky.

Dave Broom wrote in Whisky Advocate 2012:

“Like Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie starts life as a (deliberately) sulfury new make, but this character falls away in time to reveal delicacy. As a 10 year old, that sulfur could still be hanging around — one reason for the switch to a 12 year age statement. The improvement is noticeable. Here are gently lifted floral notes, hints of dry grass, and crisp pear. The feel is gentle and slow in the center, while vanilla creeps into the finish. Not complex, but very pleasant.”

Sounds reasonable.

Like a Woody Allen movie, Blue Jasmine?

Glenkinchie 12YO is at one point simple, yet complex in the other hand (sounds crazy I know). Sophisticated and light, much fun in an easy to enjoy package. Very much like a good Wody Allen movie. As soon as you start watching them, you feel like you’re part of the group in the movie. Chatting away lightly, even though the topic might be heavy. I could almost feel a jasmine scent in this whisky, so I’ll call it Blue Jasmine.

Matured in:

Ex-Bourbon casks

Colour: Golden amber

Nose: Green apple juice, first it’s crispy but gets mellow. Hints of cinnamon and nutty notes. Gets very floral with time. Water adds lemon and meringue to the mix and the nuts get salty.

Taste: Green fruits, apples and pears along with grassy notes. Crispy and sweet. Bit watery, like water melon. And very mildly hot. Drops of water and time in the glass makes it very smooth – too light for my taste.

Finish: Sharp, yet quite fast. Mildly spicy, with oak tannins. Fresh, earthly and fruity. Addition of water does make the tannic oak more dominant and bitter notes appear.

Balance: Round and enjoyable dram. Smooth and bit similar in taste with fellow Lowlander, Auchentoshan, but has bit more character than the “Toshans” tend to have. I recommend it without water.