Glen Keith 10

[kenmont]

Hello all...

Has anyone tried Glen Keith 10? I've read that it's a component of maybe Chivas and Passport. I can't seem to find a clear review of it as its served from the bottle.

Ken

[The Third Dram]

The only Glen Keith 10 (official bottling, at any rate) I've ever come across and tried is the now discontinued version of that distillery's single malt marketed during the Seagram years of ownership (before that firm divested of its spirits interests and the property was taken over by Pernod Ricard). Glen Keith 10 Year Old represented the successor to an earlier no-age edition that, on its label, simply stated, "Distilled Before 1983."

Neither were what I would consider overflowing with complexity or depth. Despite this criticism, they displayed an invigoratingly fresh and spirited nature.

[kenmont]

Excellent information...thanks!

I have yet to try this whisky but will do in the next few days.

[lohssanami]

Hey kenmont,

Is this the one?

GK10.jpg

It wasn't an exciting whisky, but it was enjoyable enough.

[kenmont]

Yes...that was the one I bought.
*****

And shall I say "Go Giants" after their miserable play in Pittsburgh and Atlanta?

[Ganga]

Neither were what I would consider overflowing with complexity or depth. Despite this criticism, they displayed an invigoratingly fresh and spirited nature.

I'm probably less complementary than you. It was a malt that was hard to get enthusiastic about.

[The Third Dram]

It was a malt that was hard to get enthusiastic about.

Don't get me wrong, Ganga. I too rated it a very modest dram, commenting that it fell into, if I recall correctly, "the only worth having at a bar category."

Those editions of Glen Keith (for me) rivalled the Benriach 10 Year Old simultaneously marketed by Seagram in terms of overall mediocrity, and in no way approached the better quality displayed by the firm's Strathisla 12 Year Old and Longmorn 15 Year Old.

[Iain]

It was a malt that was hard to get enthusiastic about.

Like the Benriach, it seems to have been bottled only to "make up the numbers" when Chivas decided they had to create the "Heritage Selection" - a poor and poorly presented imitation of the Classic 6. But the other two in the "Selection" - the Longmorn and Strathisla - were good.

[kenmont]

Since I started this thread, I've had the opportunity to pour some Glen Keith. Straight from the bottle a nosing suggests red rope licorice, some hints of freshly mowed hay, and shoe polish, while the straw color emulates a light chardonnay.

Without a few drops of water, Glen Keith is somewhat hot and astringent in the mouth and on the tongue--not a particularly good sign for a Speyside. Even with the addition of water, not many distinguishing flavors are apparent, perhaps some vanilla and white chocolate, but nothing that strikes a harmonious balance between olfactory and gustatory senses. For those who appreciate any smokiness or subtle peat nuances, you're not going to find it in Glen Keith.

Glen Keith's finish lingers on the back of the tongue for a few seconds, but one would be hard pressed to call it a "long" or "lingering" finish.

On a scale of 10, I would have to say Glen Keith approaches a 6 1/2. This does not justify the $38 price tag at a neighborhood liquor store. On the other hand, I have never seen Glen Keith locally or in my foreign sojourns, so I figured it was worth a try. Would I buy it again? No. Would I designate it as an everyday scotch? I would think not; certainly a better choice would be an Old Pulteney 12 in the single malt category or a Teacher's in the blended arena.

[The Third Dram]

Would I buy it again? No.

Truth be told, I purchased my final bottle of Glen Keith 10YO more as a collectable than as a drinkable.

What transpired? I ended up opening the bottle, sipping a bit from time to time so as to remind myself of the whisky's flavour profile, and selectively blending the remainder into various pure malt vattings of my own creation.

Likewise with that last bottle of Benriach 10YO, the one issued prior to the distillery becoming independently owned.

Needless to say, I enjoy the newer editions of Benriach MUCH more!