Glen Keith Chivas Brothers – Cask Strength Edition 19 Years Old 1995

An official release of Glen Keith, a 19 year old, from 1995, cask Batch GK 19 002, at 56.3%. Glen Keith is a Speyside single malt from Chivas Brothers, light and sweet in style. It was mothballed in 1999 and revived by Pernod Ricard in 2013 after a full refit.

Worked through the tall stills for a light, sweet make, for a light, elegant spirit with a soft malt. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the light spirit. Through oxidative maturity esters concentrate, the apple turning honeyed and a soft tropical fruit creeping in. The cool Speyside air gives a slow, even maturation in the Glen Keith warehouses. Its first permanent single malt was released in 2017, the Distillery Edition. Maturation in the racked warehouses at Keith is slow and steady. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the light Speyside spirit. It ran triple distillation from the start, switching to double distillation by the 1980s.

At a natural 56.3% it is full and fruity. Apple, pear and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run green apple, pear and a soft vanilla. A fresh finish ends on apple and a soft oak. This is a Speyside single malt of real lightness.