Glen Keith Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
By Franz Scheurer
Glen Keith is on
the banks of the river Isla in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Right below
its outer walls is a small waterfall plunging into a deep pool where, in
spring, you can watch the salmon jump the rapids in their spawning journey
upstream. The pool is aptly named ‘linne a bhradan’, the leap of the salmon.
As the name
suggests the distillery is located in Keith, in the far north of Scotland, and
it was the first distillery in Scotland to fire its stills with gas and to
computer-control the entire operation. Until 1970 its whiskies were triple
distilled, after 1970 they changed to the usual double-distil method.
Originally there was also a blend Glen Keith, with the first original single
malt bottling coming onto the market in late 1994 with no age designation,
simply marked ‘Distilled before 1983’. The distillery was originally built by
the Chivas & Glenlivet Group to satisfy the worldwide demand for brands
like Chivas, Regal and Passport. The lion’s share of the distillery’s output
still goes into these blends but the 10 y/o Glen Keith Single Highland Malt is
now imported by Orlando Wyndham and it is available through BWS in Adelaide and
most of the Vintage Cellar stores.
Tasting Notes:
Glen Keith 10 y/o,
43%, $59 Score: 7.9/10
Colour: Polished
pine with shades of ripe Sauternes
Nose: Alpine meadow
with heather, gentian and honey with slightly buttery, almost malolactic
undertones.
Palate: after a
very mild start confirming the nose, it builds on the sweeter, Demerara sugar
notes with vanillin and coconut wood flavours starting to kick in. There is
tobacco, bacon and eggs and hints of drying grass.
With water:
Nose: tobacco
flavours come to the fore
Palate: water
doesn’t change the above flavour profile but does add a considerable amount of
tobacco and cigar box elements.
Summary: this is a
very pleasant, very balanced and fragrant whisky. It’s not too alcoholic and is
dangerously easy drinking. I reckon it’s the best value Single Malt on the
market in Australia at present.
The Green Turtle
Whilst having
cocktails on a mountaintop on beautiful Turtle Island, watching the sun set in
a pool of orange, burnt ambers and reds, I came up with a cocktail for the
occasion and named it ‘The Green Turtle’. Its attraction lies in its
simplicity, its clean, punchy flavours and the way it refreshes mind and body
on a hot, tropical evening. Here is how it’s made:
2 standard nips of
Amaretto
2 standard nips of
freshly squeezed limejuice
Stirred and served
over lots of ice.
Try it on a
summer’s night and let me know what you think.