Glenkinchie 12yo

Lowland

70cl / 43%

£39.95

Distillery

A clue in the name – distillery lies in a glen of the Kinchie Burn (source), East Lothian - about 15 miles from Edinburgh.

Known as The Edinburgh Malt.

1.7m litres pa

Glenkinchie has always operated with only one wash still and one spirit still, each with an enormous capacity. The wash still holds 21’000 liters, and the spirit still holds 17’200 liters. The wash still is the largest in Scotland.

The distillery is set in farmland. The name 'Kinchie' is a corruption of 'De Quincy', the original owners of the land. Its origins date back to around 1825 but 30 years later, the owners were bankrupted and the site converted to a sawmill.

In 1881 – rebuild and whisky-making restarted.

The Glenkinchie label was relatively little known until 1989, when United Distillers started marketing it under their Classic Malts brand.

Home of Diageo’s world-famous Johnnie Walker brand – contributes to majority of JW whiskies

What Is Johnnie Walker Made From?

Johnnie Walker exclusively produces blended Scotch whisky. Each expression is comprised of carefully selected single grain and single malt whiskies sourced from distilleries in Scotland.

The master blender, Jim Beveridge, has at his disposal single malts—ranging from sweet and soft to smoky and peaty that represent the different regions of Scotland—as well as lighter grain whiskies. Some of Johnnie Walker's blends can include 40 different whiskies, while others use just a few.

Whisky

3 warehouses onsite, which host over 10,000 casks. The distillery uses a variety of different casks to mature its spirit.

12yo aged in ex-bourbon casks.

APPEARANCE - Bright gold.

NOSE

Very aromatic and flowery overall, like breathing in a country garden. Noticeable vanilla, cut flowers (daffodil, blossom and hints of lily) and beneath these, a clean, toasty note. Becomes increasingly sweet and creamy, with a lightly aromatic edge and fresh citrus, which all brings to mind lemon cheesecake. Water makes it still more creamy and scented.

PALATE

A sweet soft start, like crême anglaise, soon becoming flowery again. A really smooth delivery, especially after adding a drop of water. The mid-palate is crisp and then the flavour settles into a tightly focused bundle of butter icing, lemon cheesecake and freesias.

FINISH - Herbal and drying, a little like potpourri.