I got this sample of a recent whisky auction. It got my attention because it wasn’t overly expensive, 21 years old, distilled in 1969! So, the sample bottle has been around for 21 years as well. I love old style Glen Keith, but only know the finesse of the sherry casks. This one is from a bourbon cask and bottled at 62.5%, so I should be in for quite the experience!

Nose:
Vanilla, coconut, wood spices, tree bark and white oak wood shavings. After a while I also get grass and light caramel, with even later a very explicit lemon note is present.

Taste:
VERY sharp, which is not really a surprise, and very dry too. The sharpness is almost painful. The heat from the alcohol is quite intense with breadcrust and vanilla. The lemon note comes in very late again.

Finish:
Again, the breadcrust. It’s fairly long with grass and straw notes remaining after the vanilla  and coconut have gone. There is something ‘French’ to it. Like a French herb mix.

Well, this was an experience. You don’t often get this sharpenss after over 20 years in a bottle, especially not in a miniature.

It isn’t like any other Glen Keith I remember trying, apart from the fact that it has a complex spice mixture in the flavours and scents.

Glen Keith 21, 1969-1991, James MacArthur’s, Exclusive for the Mini Bottle Club, 62.5%, I picked it up for € 20.