Glen Keith 29 Years Old 1993 Mission Gold (Murray McDavid)

A 29 year old Glen Keith from the bottler Murray McDavid, distilled in 1993, bottled at 46.5%, one of 400 bottles. Glen Keith is a Speyside single malt made behind Strathisla, mostly for the Chivas blends. It was the first distillery in Scotland to use gas fired direct heating.

Drawn off the stills for a clean, fruity Speyside spirit, giving a clean, sweet Speyside spirit. Finished in an Oloroso cask, the wood building over the fruity, light spirit. Through the evaporative decades the spirit concentrates, esters folding into mango, beeswax and a soft honey. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit. It was built in 1957 by Seagram on the site of a meal mill, directly behind Strathisla. The clean, fruity make takes cask flavour well while keeping its apple and pear. It ran triple distillation from the start, switching to double distillation by the 1980s.

At an approachable 46.5% it is light and clean. Apple, pear and a soft vanilla, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is fresh and fruity, the light spirit shining through. The close is light and clean, fruit over a gentle oak. This is the light, fresh malt of Keith.