Glen Keith 23 Years Old 1998 Cask #167141 (Wilson & Morgan)

From the Italian bottler Wilson and Morgan, a 23 year old Glen Keith, distilled in 1998, from cask 167141, bottled at 53.8%. Glen Keith, founded in 1957, was Seagram's innovation plant on Speyside. Its water is drawn from the Balloch Hill spring above Keith.

The spirit was made on Balloch Hill water and condensed in shell and tube condensers, for a clean make of orchard fruit and a soft honey. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending vanilla and a little coconut. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend a drying structure while oxidation builds a richer, tropical fruit. The light, fruity spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and fruit to the fore. Its first permanent single malt was released in 2017, the Distillery Edition. It was the first distillery in Scotland to use gas fired direct heating. Built for the blender's art, the spirit ages with grace as a single malt.

At cask strength 53.8% it is full bodied. Green apple, pear and a soft malt, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A soft fruit and a gentle oak give it depth. The close is light and clean, fruit over a gentle oak. This is Glen Keith's clean, fruity Speyside style.