Glen Keith 26 Years Old 1998 Cask #56480 (Connoisseurs Choice)

From the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, a 26 year old Glen Keith, distilled in 1998, from cask 56480, bottled at 54.9%, one of 164 bottles. Glen Keith is a light Speyside malt, mothballed for years and revived in 2013. It ran triple distillation from the start, switching to double distillation by the 1980s.

Run through the tall stills on Balloch Hill water for a light make, giving a clean, sweet Speyside spirit. A bourbon barrel held it, the wood adding a light vanilla and a soft honey. In the oxidative, evaporative years concentration brings tropical fruit, honey and a waxy depth over the apple. The tall, narrowing stills give a light spirit that takes the cask well. The light, fruity spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and fruit to the fore. Long ageing turns the fresh apple towards tropical fruit, honey and a soft spice. Its tall, narrowing stills give a light, fruity Speyside spirit.

At a hearty 54.9% it carries real weight. Apple, pear and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft orchard fruit and a clean malt sit behind the cask. The close is light and clean, fruit over a gentle oak. This is a light, fruity Speyside single malt.