Glen Keith 15 Year (1998) Gordon & MacPhail Exclusive Hopewell Buy-Rite pick

Review by: The Muskox

This Glen Keith was selected for Hopewell Buy-Rite, which sounds much more like a dollar store or a pharmacy than a liquor store that’d do picks with Gordon & MacPhail.

Distillery: Glen Keith.

Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 58.1%, cask strength.

Age: 15 years old. Distilled on 04/16/1998. Bottled in 09/2013.

Cask type: Cask #56481, Refill sherry hogshead.

Color: Light gold. No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

Nose: Spicy. Very strong acidic and honey with a tinge of sulfur dominate, very reminiscent of Macallan. Some sweet and spicy sherry: fig, strawberry, gooseberry, plum sauce, and milk chocolate. Malty underneath – graham crackers. Hints of leather, meringue, and flowers

Palate: Thick, chewy texture. Arrives with very rich honey, apple juice, dried apricots, and plums. It develops to rich malt, sweet and spicy sherry, then rich tropical notes of pineapple and coconut. Very crisp maltiness, almost lager-like. Milk chocolate, nutmeg, black plums, strawberry, and fragrant flowers. Graham cracker again.

Finish: Very sweet. Lots of dried apricots, as well as orange wedges, sweet tea, flowers, and some star anise. More slightly-sulfurous honey.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Insufferable Instagram types at a drunken destination wedding”

Notes: A weird and tasty whisky! It’s like Macallan took a beach vacation – there’s that familiar acidic and sulfurous honey note and dark fruit, but as it develops it turns to intense tropical fruit and flowers instead of a tannic mess. It’s a bit of a disjointed mess, but the individual notes and the thick chewy texture are very compelling. Tasty stuff.

Final Score: 84.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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