They had a very good 20 yo 1990 a few years ago (WF 86), which I had found pretty ‘Rosebanky’. Colour: gold. Nose: a little aggressive, with quite a lot of wood varnish, broken branches, crushed fresh almonds, and simply… err, high-strength vodka. Some coconut oil too. May need water (of course it does)… With water: very nice, ripe fruits, apple juice, vanilla… A kind of high-strength pina colada with malt instead of rum. Mouth (neat): good modern style, with oranges, lemon, coconut, vanillin, and quite some green tea. Some sweet newish oak may have been used, for there is also quite some liquorice wood, with a terpenic side. With water: good roughness, not common in Glenkinchie, and I guess that’s the oak. Green tea, a spoonful of honey, sweet apples, some barley syrup… Finish: rather long, with more liquorice wood again. A little mint in the aftertaste. Comments: really to my liking, perhaps a bit between an old grain and an old malt. Some good oak seems to have been in use.
Gal Granov (85)
Nose: Key lime pie with icing sugar, vanilla custard.stewed fruit, apples, orange. There’s a very distinct sour note as well.
Palate :Sweeter and more robust than the nose with the sour note all but gone. Nice touch of sultanas, a spicy edge as well as creamy vanilla, fried banana and ginger. Water brings out more woody notes,cereals and apple peel.
Finish : ginger cinnamon and more wood with a spicy sweet and cereal edge, semi dark chocolate. Bitter sweet with light fruit.
Words of Whisky (87)
Nose: very bright, almost sour, with a lot of lime and blossomy notes. Yellow plums, Granny Smith apple and fruit gums. Lemon frosting on vanilla cake. A light grassy note. Quite some varnished oak as well, but it fits in nicely. Mouth: sweet citrus again, although it has more body than you’d expect. A little unripe pineapple. Rhubarb. Gingery heat and a pinch of pepper. Growing nutty notes (almonds, Brazil nuts) as well as some vanilla and green tea. Very clean. Finish: quite long, sweet and spicy, showing some cinnamon and liquorice.
I like this Lowlands style with a balanced dose of European oak spices. It adds a robust side to the otherwise fairly light Glenkinchie profil
