And now for something rather special. Kinclaith was a distillery inside a distillery, since it was part of the Strathclyde grain whisky complex. Mainly used in blended whiskies it is now something of a rarity to find at all these days. Only a few post-world-war distilleries are rares to find something of (Ben Wyvis and Malt Mill), but a bottle of Kinclaith will set you back about € 700 in a shop, auctions tend to be a little bit cheaper. I managed to get a 5cl miniature from whisky auction a couple of months ago since I really wanted to try it!

The distillery was erected in 1957 but after only 18 short years it was demolished in 1975. Well, the Kinclaith stills were removed from the Strathclyde distillery.

Nose:
Very old fashioned with old dusty barley, cherries and heavy vanilla and caramel. Very nice and complex and something that touches all of your taste buds. Also some mint after a while!

Taste:
Very rich and rather sharp for something at 40%. Crushed black pepper, some wood spices and it gets a little bit sweeter after a while. More and more vanilla and quite the ‘warm’ whisky. The spiciness becomes a bit sweeter after a minute and a floral hint pops up.

Finish:
The finish is a little off with some kind of a fishy flavour. Sweet vanilla and floral again, but that fishy edge isn’t too nice.

I read on the Malt Madness site that they think most Kinclaith’s aren’t worth the high price they command. I think I agree since, apart from the fact that it is so rare, there are many cheaper and better whiskies available. It’s nice to have tasted this, but it won’t be anywhere near my top whiskies. It’s still better than average, but I can’t wrap my head around the price of a bottle.

Kinclaith 1966, 40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice, available at auction. Master of Malt has some samples available.