Introduction
Glenkinchie is a lowland distillery, known as the “Edinburgh malt” by some due to its close proximity to the capital city of Scotland. It was founded in 1825 and was originally named the Milton Distillery. But in 1837, the name was changed to Glenkinchie. Most production from the distillery ends up in blended whiskies, such as Haig, Dimple, Buchanans and, most famously, Johnnie Walker.
So… this is one of the main males found in one of the best-selling Scotch whiskies in the world… but you probably don’t think much about Glenkinchie. Am I right?
In October 2020, Glenkinchie reopened its newly renovated visitors centre, now marketed as the “Lowland home of Johnnie Walker”.
Glenkinchie wasn’t a particularly well-known brand, until 1988 when Diageo introduced its “Classic Malts” range, six whiskies each representing a different region of Scotland. And, for the Lowland region, the Glenkinchie 10 was chosen. That has changed now to the Glenkinchie 12.
This Distillers Edition is that classic 12-year-old Glenkinchie, but it has been double maturated using Amontillado sherry casks. Amontillado is a variety of sherry, characterised by being darker than fino but lighter than oloroso.
On the Nose
As you’d expect from a ‘sherry’ matured whisky, this is instantly sweet on the nose, with fresh fruit very prominent, mostly peach for me, with some green apples, lovely deep honey, almond butter, and vanilla. A very interesting and complex nose for Glenkinchie!
On the palate
Wood notes and the fruit from the nose moves more towards green grape skins and the apple peel. It’s quite a drying mouthfeel, which doesn’t linger for long. Very smooth, not oily, but it does have a bit of a white pepper kick to it.
Once it had settled in the glass, and I’d had a few nips, the dram started to get quite sweet and the peppery kick-started to become less prominent. Almost some sweet tropical fruit started to appear… but then before I knew it, the dram was finished!
Conclusion
One to rival some of the better-known sherry bomb Speyside / Highland whisky, this lowland whisky is packing a punch. If you’ve tried Glenkinchie 12 and think it was too mellow, or not complex enough, you want to give this dram a try!
Want to try it for yourself?
Why not try Glenkinchie Distillers Edition for yourself? You can pick up a bottle online at any of the following retailers: