Glen Keith 22 Years Old 1995 Forest Fresh (Wemyss)

A 22 year old Glen Keith from the bottler Wemyss Malts, distilled in 1995, bottled at 46%, one of 315 bottles. Glen Keith is a clean, fruity Speyside malt from the town of Keith in Moray. Its water is drawn from the Balloch Hill spring above Keith.

It was worked through the tall stills for a light, sweet make, for a clean make of orchard fruit and a soft honey. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut from the lactones. Through the evaporative decades the spirit concentrates, esters folding into mango, beeswax and a soft honey. Maturation in the racked warehouses at Keith is slow and steady. It was the first distillery in Scotland to use gas fired direct heating. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the light Speyside spirit. Years in oak round the spirit, the green apple deepening to honey and tropical fruit. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the fruit.

At an approachable 46% it is light and clean. Green apple, honey and a soft malt, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is light and clean, the fruit lifted by vanilla. It finishes light, fresh and fruity. This is a light, fruity Speyside single malt.