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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Two cask types, one rounded whole. Tamnavulin Double Cask is the distillery's take on a soft everyday dram, where American oak and used sherry casks meet in a calm, golden glass.

Expert description

Tamnavulin Double Cask is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky, matured in American oak casks and finished in used sherry casks, bottled at 40%.

Double Cask is part of Tamnavulin's core range and represents the distillery's contemporary, approachable style, prioritising softness over complexity. After primary maturation in American oak, the whisky moves into casks that previously held sherry, adding an extra layer of sweetness and a light floral character without losing the underlying Speyside lightness.

The style is designed as an accessible entry point into the Tamnavulin range and is often used as a reference point for the distillery's other finished expressions, including Sherry Cask Edition and the various wine-cask series.

Tasting notes

Nose

Golden honey and ripe apple with a light floral scent and a hint of vanilla custard.

Palate

Medium-bodied and soft, with notes of caramel, dried apricot and a lightly tart freshness that keeps the whisky light on the palate.

Finish

Short to medium, refreshing and clean, closing on a hint of nuts and oak.

Specifications

Name: Tamnavulin Double Cask
Distillery: Tamnavulin
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak, finished in used sherry casks
EAN nr.: 5013967011557

Flavour profile

Honeyed · Soft · Floral · Light nutty · Approachable

Did you know?

Tamnavulin sits on the River Livet, a tributary of the Spey, and by pure coincidence the river's name reads almost like the Danish word for "life" - a small linguistic quirk locals enjoy pointing out to visitors.

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In 1963, Glenfiddich did something no other Scotch distillery had dared before — they sold their single malt outside Scotland. The Original is a direct tribute to the bottle that changed the whisky world.

Expert description

Glenfiddich The Original Limited Edition is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured in american ex-bourbon casks and European sherry casks and bottled at 40%. The release is built on the same cask combination Glenfiddich used for its very first export bottling: American ex-bourbon casks and European sherry casks. The Original was created in a limited run to celebrate the distillery's pioneering work, rather than as a fixed part of the core range.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh pear and a touch of honey, with a delicate underlying sherry sweetness.

Palate

Light and fruity with soft malt, honey and a mild spice.

Finish

Short to medium, clean and lightly sweet.

Specifications

Name: Glenfiddich The Original Limited Edition Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Glenfiddich
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American ex-bourbon casks and European sherry casks
Number of bottles: Limited release
Edition: The Original - tribute to the 1963 release
EAN no.: 5010327325569
Notice: No box

Flavour profile

Fruity · Light · Soft · Classic

Investment potential

Low. The Original pays tribute to the 1963 release that first brought Scotch single malt to the world, and historic tribute bottlings like this tend to appreciate quietly over time.

Did you know?

The original 1963 release was sold in a triangular bottle — a design detail that still echoes in Glenfiddich's bottles today.

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Cragganmore is almost always sold at forty percent and twelve years. Every so often Diageo opens the warehouse door and lets it out at full strength — and then it becomes a different whisky entirely.

Expert description

Cragganmore 2016 Annual Release is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled at 55.7% without an age statement.

The release belongs to Diageo's annual Special Releases and was made in 4,932 bottles. Cragganmore sits at Ballindalloch between mountain and sea, in the triangle of land locally called the Garden of Scotland, where barley is a natural crop and the Spey is Scotland's fastest flowing river. It was precisely that combination of barley, water and peat from the uplands to the south that made John Smith build here in 1869. At 55.7% the herbal, malted house style stands far more clearly than in the 12 year old.

Tasting notes

Nose

Concentrated heather and honey, dried herbs and a warm resinous note. Underneath sit malt, apple skin and a trace of wood smoke.

Palate

Powerful and dense. Honey, sandalwood, malt and candied citrus, with a peppery warmth from the strength and a dry herbal edge keeping the sweetness in check.

Finish

Very long and dry, with malt, herbs, oak and a slowly fading smoked warmth.

Specifications

Name: Cragganmore 2016 Annual Release Single Speyside Malt Whisky 55,7%
Distillery: Cragganmore
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 55.7%
Size: 70 CL
Number of bottles: 4,932
Edition: Annual Release 2016
EAN no.: 5000281046082

Flavour profile

Malty · Honeyed · Herbal · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

High. The outturn is 4,932 bottles, the vintage is bottled once and never repeated, and Cragganmore appears rarely in the series. Older Special Releases have risen sharply as they left the shelves.

Did you know?

Cragganmore sits in what locals call the Garden of Scotland — a fertile triangle between mountain and sea where barley grows well. John Smith chose the spot because everything a distillery needs lay within walking distance: grain, water, peat and a railway.

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Thirty years in a cask is a long time. The world outside Dufftown has changed a great deal since this whisky went into wood sometime in the 1980s, and since 2007, when Glenfiddich redesigned the 30 Year Old and raised the strength to 43%, this version has stood apart as a small piece of distillery history in its own right. This bottle is from before that change, back when it carried the name Blue Label and was bottled at 40%.

The Expert's Description

Glenfiddich 30 Year Old is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in Oloroso Sherry Casks and American Bourbon Casks and bottled at 40%. This is the original edition of Glenfiddich's 30 Year Old, launched in 2000 and discontinued when the distillery gave both the label and the strength an overhaul in 2007. Since then the 30 Year Old has been bottled at 43%, while this particular bottling still carries the old strength. Every cask is personally nosed and approved by Glenfiddich's Malt Master before it earns a place in the final vatting, and only a limited number of casks make it all the way through thirty years in the warehouse. Maturation alternates between Spanish Oloroso Sherry Casks, which lend depth and dark fruit, and American Bourbon Casks, which contribute vanilla and a touch of sweetness. The result is a whisky that carries three decades of patience within it, complex but never heavy.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark oak, toasted almond and a hint of spiced sherry greet the nose first. Behind that sits dried fig and a faint, damp earthiness reminiscent of an old library.

Palate

The palate is round and full-bodied with notes of date, caramelised sugar and a slightly bitter orange peel. Oak steps forward clearly alongside warm festive spices, cinnamon and clove.

Finish

The finish is long and dry, with a last flicker of dark chocolate and worn wood that lingers well after the final sip.

Specifications

Name: Glenfiddich 30 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Glenfiddich
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 30 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oloroso Sherry Casks and American Bourbon Casks
Bottled: 2007
Edition: Blue Label, discontinued edition prior to the 2007 redesign
EAN no.: 5010327395258

Flavour Profile

Sherry-Matured · Spiced · Fruity · Oak-Driven · Round

Investment Potential

The investment potential is rated medium to high. This pre-2007 edition is discontinued and is becoming harder to find every year, and it now trades noticeably above what a comparable newer 30 Year Old from Glenfiddich costs. Collectors are especially drawn to the old 40% strength and the original Blue Label design.

Did You Know?

Glenfiddich was the first Scotch distillery to open its doors to visitors, back in 1969, at a time when most other distilleries kept production firmly behind closed doors.

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Madeira is an island where the sun bakes the wine denser and sweeter than most European climates allow. Glenfiddich has borrowed exactly that sweetness for one of its most exotic expressions.

Expert description

Glenfiddich 19 Years Old Age of Discovery Madeira Cask is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks finished in Madeira casks and bottled at 40%. Age of Discovery Madeira Cask matures for 19 years in ex-bourbon casks before being finished in casks that previously held Madeira wine. That adds a deep, nutty sweetness that clearly sets it apart from the distillery's other Age of Discovery expressions.

Please note wear on the top of the box and on the inside of the box

Tasting notes

Nose

Toasted nuts, dried apricot and a warm, wine-like sweetness.

Palate

Round and sweet with caramelised nuts, raisin and a slightly tangy fruitiness.

Finish

Medium and warm, with a final hint of dried fruit.

Specifications

Name: Glenfiddich 19 Years Old Age of Discovery Madeira Cask Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Glenfiddich
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 19 years old
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks finished in Madeira casks
Edition: Age of Discovery - Madeira Cask
EAN no.: 5010327315669

Flavour profile

Fruity · Sweet · Round · Nutty

Investment potential

Low. The Age of Discovery series has been discontinued from Glenfiddich's core range, which makes the remaining bottles gradually scarcer.

Did you know?

Madeira wine was historically shipped across the oceans in oak casks, because the heat and movement of the voyage was found to improve the wine's flavour — the same cask tradition is now reused to shape whisky.

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An old warehouse in Ballindalloch, steam from short flat-topped pot stills and water from the Craggan Burn. This is Speyside as it was once bottled — in the big litre bottle with the yellow band.

Expert description

Cragganmore 12 years Old Version is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 40% in a litre bottle.

The release dates from the 1990s, when Cragganmore was still sold in the discontinued litre measure with a yellow duty band — a design collectors know and look for. The distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith, who sited it close to the Strathspey railway, locally known as The Whisky Line. Cragganmore still uses worm tub condensers, which almost nobody else does, and that is a large part of the reason for the heavy, complex house style.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sweet heather and meadow flowers first, then honey, vanilla and a dry nutty cereal note from the years in glass.

Palate

Soft and finely woven. Malt, honey, sandalwood and a touch of sweet wood smoke, carried by a lightly oily texture the modern bottlings do not quite reach.

Finish

Long and malty with sweet hints, dried herbs and a faint smoked warmth at the end.

Specifications

Name: Cragganmore 12 years 1 litre Old Version Single Speyside Malt Whisky 40%
Distillery: Cragganmore
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40 %
Size: 100 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks
Edition: Old Version litre bottle with yellow duty band

Flavour profile

Soft · Malty · Honeyed · Complex · Lightly Smoked

Investment potential

High. The litre measure is discontinued, the yellow duty band is no longer used, and 1990s bottlings are only available to the extent that people kept them.

Did you know?

Cragganmore was built where it was because John Smith wanted the railway close by. The Strathspey line was called The Whisky Line, and the distillery got its own siding — whisky out, barley and coal in, without touching the poor roads.

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Twenty-five years is where the coffee arrives. Not as an addition, but as something that emerges on its own once sherry cask and time have worked together long enough — and at Glenfarclas it comes alongside orange marmalade and sweet smoke.

The expert's description

Glenfarclas 25 Year Old is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in sherry casks and bottled at 43%.

The 43% may look low for a twenty-five year old, but it is a deliberate choice. After that many years in sherry casks the whisky is already concentrated, and a higher strength would make it hard rather than elegant. The balance between the sherry and the alcohol is the whole point of this bottling.

Glenfarclas can offer a continuous ladder from ten to forty years, which few family-owned distilleries can. It is because several generations have held back from selling the old casks off — something that requires being able to do without the income in the short term.

Tasting notes

Nose

Delicate sweet smoke, orange marmalade and honey, with freshly ground coffee, sherry and nuts over a base of aged wood.

Palate

Robust and full with great body. Sweet smoke and nuts, with a fine balance between the sherry casks and the alcohol. Dark chocolate settles at the back of the mouth.

Finish

Intense and long. Dry, malty, nutty and lightly smoky, with a dark chocolate note that lingers well afterwards.

Specifications

Name: Glenfarclas 25 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Whisky 43%
Distillery: Glenfarclas
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 25 years
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry casks
EAN no.: 5018066254317

Flavour profile

Sherried · Nutty · Coffee · Lightly smoky · Full

Investment potential

Medium. A twenty-five year old from a family-owned distillery that owns its own old stock is not a bottle produced in large volumes. Glenfarclas has kept its older age statements in the range, but the quantities shrink as the casks empty.

Did you know?

Glenfarclas can offer an unbroken age ladder from ten to forty years because the family has let the old casks stand over generations. It is a luxury few distilleries have, and it cannot be built up in a short time.

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It began as a Christmas present. In 1968 George S. Grant bottled a cask of Glenfarclas at full strength and gave it to family and friends, and it later became the 105 — the first cask strength single malt to be regularly available.

The expert's description

Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured primarily in oloroso sherry casks and bottled at cask strength 60%.

The whisky carries no age statement, but the contents typically sit somewhere between eight and ten years. The number 105 refers to the old British proof scale, where 105 degrees equals the 60% alcohol. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

When the 105 reached the market, the cask strength category barely existed as something you could buy in a shop. It was a time when almost all single malt was reduced to 40 or 43%, and Glenfarclas took a chance sending something this powerful out to ordinary customers.

Tasting notes

Nose

Raisins, nuts and dark chocolate, with a touch of oak. There is a light floral note that balances the heavy sherry elements.

Palate

Intense and full from the first sip. Sweet malt and dark syrup, followed by spiced oak, cloves and a trace of liquorice. The strength registers clearly, but it is warming rather than sharp.

Finish

Long, dry and lasting. Spices, dark fruit and a pleasant warmth that hangs on for a long time.

Specifications

Name: Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength Speyside Single Malt Whisky 70 cl 60%
Distillery: Glenfarclas
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 60%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Primarily oloroso sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: 105 Cask Strength
EAN no.: 5018066105015

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dark fruit · Spiced · Powerful · Cask Strength

Did you know?

Glenfarclas 105 was born in 1968 when George S. Grant bottled a cask at full strength as a Christmas gift for family and friends. It later became a permanent part of the range and is regarded as the first regularly available cask strength single malt.

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Two years more than the ten year old and three percentage points higher. It does not sound like much, but at Glenfarclas it makes the difference between a whisky you drink and a whisky you sit with.

The expert's description

Glenfarclas 12 Year Old is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in sherry casks and bottled at 43%.

The twelve years is the distillery best-selling release and the one most people use as a reference point for the house style. The sherry is clear but has not taken over yet, and at 43% the whisky carries more body than the 10 year old without demanding anything particular of the drinker.

The name Glenfarclas means the glen of the green grassland, and it is exactly that freshness you find beneath the sherry here. It is a note that runs through the whole range and keeps turning up, however many years the cask is given.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh and crisp, with a lightly spiced sweetness and a touch of orange. The sherry sits as a warm base beneath it all.

Palate

Full with notes of dried fruit, new wood and a light sweet smoke. The 43% gives the whisky a firmness the 10 year old lacks, and the spice builds slowly towards the end.

Finish

Surprisingly long. Elegant spice and dried fruit lingering further than the age suggests.

Specifications

Name: Glenfarclas 12 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Whisky 70 cl 43%
Distillery: Glenfarclas
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry casks

Flavour profile

Sherried · Spiced · Dried fruit · Fruity · Malty

Did you know?

Glenfarclas has a board room panelled with wood from the ocean liner Empress of Australia. The panelling came from the ship’s drawing room and was put up in the visitor centre, which has been called The Ship’s Room ever since.

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Sherry from the first sip. Glenfarclas does not use sherry casks as a finish but as the foundation itself, and you can taste it already in the youngest release in the range.

The expert's description

Glenfarclas 10 Year Old is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in sherry casks and bottled at 40%.

Ten years is the distillery entry release, and it is built to show the house style rather than to impress with age. The sherry takes up clear room, but at 40% the whisky is light enough to be drunk without ceremony, and there is a trace of smoke in the background that comes from the direct firing under the stills.

Glenfarclas sits at Ballindalloch by the River Spey and has been in the hands of the Grant family since 1865. The water comes from a spring in the Ben Rinnes hills, and the distillery is one of very few left that still fires its pot stills directly with gas rather than using steam heating.

Tasting notes

Nose

Plenty of sherry, with honey, a touch of caramel and barley behind.

Palate

Spices, dried fruit, pastry and caramel, with a very small hint of smoke in the middle. The body is light at 40%, but the sherry gives it more weight than the number suggests.

Finish

Medium. More spice, dried fruit and oak closing quietly.

Specifications

Name: Glenfarclas 10 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Whisky 40%
Distillery: Glenfarclas
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry casks
EAN no.: 5018066104018

Flavour profile

Sherried · Spiced · Dried fruit · Malty · Light

Did you know?

John Grant bought Glenfarclas in 1865 for £512, and the distillery has been in the family ever since. That makes Glenfarclas one of very few Scottish distilleries still run by the same family after more than a century and a half.

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