Review by: The Muskox

Would you believe that, over 1000 whiskies in, I’ve never tried a Glenkinchie? It’s not like it’s been unavailable to me, and I have enough worm-tub-condenser-obsessed friends that it comes up in conversation occasionally. I just haven’t got around to it! The 12 year old is one of the few bottlings the distillery releases.

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Distillery: Glenkinchie.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Lowlands.

ABV: 43%.

Age: 12 years.

Cask type: Undisclosed as far as I can tell, but presumably a mix of bourbon and sherry casks.

Price: $96 CAD locally (man, I don’t miss Ontario prices…)

Color: Colour added. Chill-filtered.

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Nose: Sweet and light. Soft fruit notes of red apple and plums, along with gentle baking spices. There’s some richness here in the form of a melted butter note that gives things the slightest bit of heft.

Palate: Medium body. Arrives with more apples, spice, and caramel, before developing to rich butteriness and a vague hint of oak.

Finish: Medium-short. That butteriness lingers, and the oak deepens into an herbal note. Banana and a hint of salt.

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Conclusion: That’s actually quite nice. I think the worm tubs actually do turn up and bump up the weight of the dram a little. It’s still a light whisky, but next to the really light malts like Glenfiddich, Auchentoshan, or even young Glengoyne, it’s a noticeable difference. My expectations were low, but they were surpassed.

Final Score: 76.

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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.