Glen Keith 9 Years Old 2013 (Hart Brothers)

A Glen Keith of a 9 year old chosen by the bottler Hart Brothers, distilled in 2013, bottled at 46%. Glen Keith is a modern Speyside malt on Balloch Hill water, built in the 1950s. It was Seagram's experimental plant, and still houses the Chivas Brothers lab.

The spirit was distilled from unpeated malt in tall, narrowing stills, giving a clean, sweet Speyside spirit. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the fresh, fruity character to the fore. In these extractive early years the oak gives vanillin as vanilla and oak lactones as coconut over bright green apple and pear. Balloch Hill water and the tall stills give the light Glen Keith make. Years in oak round the spirit, the green apple deepening to honey and tropical fruit. The cool Speyside air gives a slow, even maturation in the Glen Keith warehouses. Maturation in the racked warehouses at Keith is slow and steady.

At an approachable 46% it is light and clean. A clean, fruity sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and a gentle spice lift it. The finish runs light, fruity and clean. This is a fresh, fruity Speyside malt from the Chivas stable.