Two hogsheads, filled on the same day in May 1997, emptied on the same day in February 2018. Exactly twenty years and eight months in between. Signatory has a habit of writing the dates out in full, and here it gives a neat picture of how closely the two casks tracked each other.
Please note: The image is a stock photo.
The expert's description
Glen Keith 1997/2018 Signatory 20 Year Old is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky from two hogsheads, bottled at 46%.
The casks were filled on 26 May 1997 and emptied on 26 February 2018 — hogsheads number 72609 and 72610, married into one bottling, non-chill filtered and with no added colour. The 46% is chosen rather than cask strength, and it suits a spirit like Glen Keith: bright and lightly waxy, where too much alcohol easily tramples over the fruit.
The spirit dates from 1997, which is two years before Glen Keith was mothballed. Seagram used the distillery as its experimental plant and ran trials on yeast strains and mashing here, so production varied more than at an ordinary Speyside distillery. That is exactly why the year on a Glen Keith matters more than on most others.
Tasting notes
Nose
Bright and clean. Pear, green apple and lemon peel, with vanilla and a dry malt note behind. After a couple of minutes a trace of beeswax emerges.
Palate
Soft and lightly oily. Honey, ripe pear and pale caramel, with a hint of toasted almond. The dryness only arrives at the end and keeps the whisky from turning dully sweet.
Finish
Medium. Malt, pear and a dry, faintly peppery close.
Specifications
Name: Glen Keith 1997/2018 Signatory 20 Year Old Speyside Single Malt 46%
Distillery: Glen Keith
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 20 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Hogsheads no. 72609 and 72610
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 26 May 1997
Bottled: 26 February 2018
EAN no.: 5021944094752
Flavour profile
Fruity · Malty · Honeyed · Dry · Soft
Investment potential
Medium. The spirit dates from 1997, from the final years before Glen Keith closed, and those bottlings exist in a number that cannot grow. A 20 year old from the period at an ordinary bottling strength is the kind of bottle that quietly disappears from shelves without being speculated on.
Did you know?
Seagram used Glen Keith to trial new yeast strains and mashing methods before putting them into service at other distilleries. That makes the older spirit less predictable than most — two vintages from Glen Keith can sit further apart than you are used to.
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