Glen Keith 1995 21 Year (Alexander Murray & Co.)

This Glen Keith sample from an independent bottler is a 21-year-old distilled in 1995, before the distillery's redesign. It spent its entire life in reused sherry casks and is bottled at 43%. The color is a lovely yellow gold, and it's quite oily with thin legs. The aroma is very fruity, led by juicy fruit gum, apples, and honey, with hints of burnt sugar and oak appearing later. The taste mirrors the nose with abundant tropical fruit and ripe bananas, but then a strong presence of oak tannins and bitterness spoils it somewhat. It's strange for a 21-year-old to break down like that. The finish is surprisingly brief, with a pronounced dryness and a bitter oak finish. It's quite a letdown after the promising start. I wanted to award this 4 stars due to its initial juicy and tropical character, but the oak barrel overwhelmed what could have been a fantastic whisky. For $125, a more polished product is expected, but it seems the bottler prioritized the age statement. It's unfortunate, and the already reduced 43% ABV offered little room to mitigate the bitterness. Thanks to a friend for the sample. I'm curious to try a different bottling to see if a better product exists. It's just too bitter for a high rating. 3.25 stars. Enjoy.

Stop number 76 on the SDT is Glen Keith. I really don’t know anything about this Speyside distillery and today was so hectic I didn’t have time to look up any info on them. This bottle comes by way of the independent bottlers at Alexander Murray. A 21 year old that was distilled in 1995. Bottled at 43% ABV and I believe it is both non chill filtered and natural color of yellow gold. The nose starts with honey and lots of oak. Sweet fruity notes. Apples, pears, plums, white grape/peach juice. Almost sticky sweet. Subtle toffee and brown sugar. Powdered ginger, some nutmeg and more oak. Very perfumed. The palate arrives very sweet like the nose. Unfortunately that’s where the similarities ended. Bitter oak with sharp tannins. A little cinnamon, anise and ginger. There are some fruity notes like plums, apples, underripe melons and apricots. That bitter oak comes back and dominates everything. Light bodied mouthfeel, oily, creamy and dry. The finish is short to medium short. The mouthfeel disappears quickly and just leaves that dry bitterness with some oak and a vague afterthought of apricots. I have to say that I was fairly distracted while reviewing this single malt. It’s a friend's Birthday and we were texting back and forth giving each other the business. Even if that wasn’t the case, I don’t think I could have gotten into this one. That bitterness ruined almost the entire experience. The nose was the only saving grace. For a 21 year old the price of $125 isn’t that bad, but the quality just isn’t there. Oh well, move on to the next one. Thanks to a friend for the sample. 3.5 Cheers

Another week, another Friday night winding down. Catching up on Homeland and another SDT sample, this one provided by a friend. The aroma is sweet, tropical, and fruity, with honey, Juicy Fruit gum, pineapple, coconut, cinnamon apples, mango, vanilla, caramel, and banana. There's the faintest hint of sea salt, giving it a maritime character. It's a pleasant aroma that evokes images of a secluded beach with tiki umbrellas, a welcome escape from this crazy, cold spring. The palate is a sharp contrast to the nose. The thin-bodied spirit is dry and spicy, like a sunburn from that secluded beach. It has drying oak tannins, crushed black pepper spice mixed with honey and ginger. The finish is bitter and woody dry, similar to chewing on a toothpick, with the ginger from the palate carrying over. The aroma is the highlight of this dram, unfortunately not supported by the palate and finish, which somewhat disappoint the overall experience. Perhaps as an 18-year-old, this whisky might offer a better experience by reducing the woodiness. Or maybe a port or bourbon cask finish could sweeten the palate (this is debatable). It's not a bad dram; the potential for something more is there. [84/100][Tasted: 3/23/18]

As part of our trading team, this was a sample provided by my internet famous friend. My first Glen Keith, at a mature age of 21. From 1995...those are years I would personally prefer to forget, filled with chemical engineering, biochemistry, and calculus classes. Anyway... I love the aroma of this: tropical fruits like kiwi, mango, and coconuts. I could smell this all day. I can picture tropical beaches, palm trees, clear waters, and tanned, glistening bodies. I'm not sure I've encountered such a pronounced coconut scent in any spirit outside of an Irish single malt. But the palate... what the hell? It fell apart. What happened? I was hoping the tropical fruits would carry through to the palate. But no. So incredibly wrong to tease like that. The beach scene with the tanned bodies suddenly transformed into a highway rest stop with a mobster-type character in sweats. Quick finish, as if I were just dealt with by some tough guys.

The aroma is full of tropical fruit! I detected pineapple and coconut, along with a hint of flowers, but no earthy or herbal qualities. There's also a subtle note of tobacco leaf present. On the palate, it has a light mouthfeel initially, but a mix of caramel, mild grapefruit, banana, white grapes, and tobacco flavors emerges prominently. The mouthfeel gets better as it sits. Adding water wasn't helpful; even a few drops were excessive. It revealed sourdough bread and green beans. The finish is moderately long, featuring orange, butter, and cream. The prominent tobacco character makes me think of a theme song. Perhaps something by a certain artist like "I Need A Lover". I'm giving it a 4.25!

Harsh nose, a bit of smoke, dark fruity body, pretty rough for 21 years. 8/11/19