Glen Keith 1983 The Pool of The Salmon Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky 100 cl 43%

Vintage 1983 and no age statement. That is how it was written when the year told you enough on its own. The whisky was distilled in the middle of the Seagram years at Glen Keith, where the distillery was used to try things out before they were rolled out elsewhere.

The expert's description

Glen Keith 1983 The Pool of the Salmon is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Keith in Speyside, matured in oak casks and bottled at 43% in a litre bottle.

The bottle carries a vintage rather than a number of years. The spirit dates from 1983, a period when Glen Keith produced for Seagram blends and was only rarely bottled as a single malt for the open market. The casks were oak, and together with the 43% that gives a calm, old-fashioned style.

Glen Keith held an unusual place in Scotch whisky. Seagram built the distillery as an experimental plant and ran triple distillation there for a period, something otherwise associated almost entirely with the Lowlands and Ireland. When production stopped in 1999, one of the more experimental addresses in Speyside disappeared for fourteen years.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried apricot and malt, with beeswax and a dusty library note. There is a muted floral quality that older Speyside often develops in the bottle.

Palate

Soft and oily. Honey, hazelnut and baked apple, with a lightly soapy-floral turn typical of spirit from this period. The dryness arrives late.

Finish

Medium and calm. Malt, dried fruit and a dry oak close with no sharp edges.

Specifications

Name: Glen Keith 1983 The Pool of the Salmon Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 100 cl 43%
Distillery: Glen Keith
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
Size: 100 CL
Cask type: Oak casks
Distilled: 1983
Edition: The Pool of the Salmon
EAN no.: 087000653177

Flavour profile

Malty · Honeyed · Floral · Soft · Waxy

Investment potential

Medium. A 1983 vintage bottling cannot be made again, and Glen Keith as a single malt from the Seagram years was only ever bottled in limited quantity. The litre bottle and the old subtitle make it easier for collectors hunting that specific period to recognise.

Did you know?

Glen Keith was built on the site of an old meal mill and stands right beside Strathisla, one of Scotland's oldest distilleries. The two neighbours have more than a century between them in age, yet share the same small town.

See our full range of Glen Keith

Frequently asked questions about Glen Keith 1983 The Pool of the Salmon

Is it worth the money?

Look at what sits behind it. The spirit dates from 1983, a period when Glen Keith mainly made whisky for blends and was rarely bottled as a single malt. The distillery closed in 1999, so the number of bottles from that era is fixed. It is the rarity and the period that carry the bottle.

Why is there no age statement?

Because the bottle uses a vintage instead. That was common on older bottlings, where the year of distillation was treated as the key piece of information. Without a bottling year the age cannot be worked out precisely, which is why it is not on the label.

What characterises Glen Keith from the 1980s?

A soft, waxy and lightly floral style, quite different from the fresh, appley Speyside whiskies you often meet today. That comes down to the spirit, the casks and the many years the whisky has spent in glass. See the other Scottish styles in our Scotch Whisky selection.

What was triple distillation at Glen Keith?

Seagram had the distillery distil three times instead of twice for a period, which produces a lighter and cleaner spirit. It is an approach otherwise seen mostly in the Lowlands and in Irish whiskey, and it says something about how experimental the site was.

Can you still get Glen Keith from this period?

Only from old stock and collections. The distillery stopped production in 1999, and the official bottlings from the Seagram years will not be made again. What circulates is what remains.

How should the bottle be handled before serving?

Let it stand upright for a couple of days if it has travelled on its side, and open it carefully — old corks can be brittle. Pour a small glass and let it sit for fifteen minutes before tasting.

Does it work as a gift?

For a collector, or for someone with a particular connection to the year 1983, yes. A vintage bottle from a distillery that closed is the kind of gift that gets remembered. It is not intended for everyday drinking.