Glen Keith 11 Years Old 1996 (Silver Seal)

The bottler Silver Seal bottled this Glen Keith, an 11 year old, distilled in 1996, bottled at 46%, one of 430 bottles. Glen Keith is a modern Speyside malt on Balloch Hill water, built in the 1950s. Its tall, narrowing stills give a light, fruity Speyside spirit.

The spirit was distilled from unpeated malt in tall, narrowing stills, for a light, elegant spirit with a soft malt. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the fruit. In integration lactones (coconut) and vanillin (vanilla) knit with the spirit, the green apple deepening to honey. The light, fruity spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and fruit to the fore. Built for the blender's art, the spirit ages with grace as a single malt. It was Seagram's experimental plant, and still houses the Chivas Brothers lab. Maturation in the racked warehouses at Keith is slow and steady. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the light Speyside spirit.

At 46% it is light and soft. Baked apple, citrus and a creamy vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and a gentle spice lift it. Apple, pear and a soft oak see out the finish. This is Glen Keith, Seagram's experimental Speyside malt.