Glen Keith
Translation: Valley of Keith
Region: Speyside
She is not dead, she just sleeps.
They still exist, the good news. For a long time one had to assume that the chapter "Glen Keith" in the big book of the whiskey would be finally finished. The distillery was shut down in 1999 and it remained closed. Year after year. And the more time passed, the lower the hope of a new beginning. But then, after a 14-year slumber, Glen Keith was recently revived. Since June 2013 is produced here again. Good news!
The only catch: we have to wait another 10 years to enjoy the fruits of this rebirth ...
A little history
In 1957, the Chivas Brothers built a new distillery called Glen Keith in the village of Keith. It was her second distillery there. Directly opposite Glen Keith they already operated Strathisla. The demand for blended whiskey was immense in the 50s, with the new distillery they wanted to make sure that enough supplies for the successful blends from the house of Chivas is available.
In 1960, production began at Glen Keith. In addition to whiskey production, the distillery also served Chivas to experiment with various new techniques. First, three stills were used here, one wash and two spirit stills, which were used to make a triple-fired malt. The triple burn is traditionally typical of the Lowlands, but uncommon in the Speyside region. Which underlines the experimental character of the distillery. However, Glen Keith could easily switch to double distillation.
At the beginning of the seventies, the number of stills was doubled. As part of the expansion, Glen Keith installed the first gas-fired pot stills in Scotland.
Glen Keith also produced his own malt and his own yeast, which is also unusual. The neighboring Strathisla distillery was also supplied with malt via a pressure line. At times, Glen Keith produced a well-teased malt whiskey, which the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail marketed as Glenisla. It is noteworthy that the peaty character was not achieved as usual by turfed malt, but by treated with peat smoke water.
In 1999, Glen Keith was mothballed. In 2001, Chivas Brothers and thus Glen Keith were taken over by Pernod Ricard. In 2012, the work on the reopening began, since June 2013 is produced here again.
What do I actually have in the glass?
A very interesting malt that deserves more attention: clear fruit notes, lots of vanilla and echoes of oak wood stay in the mouth for a long time.
3 reasons to love Glen Keith
1) Because the malt really does not have to hide in blends.
2) Because 14 years of hibernation is over, thank goodness.
3) Because sometimes everything will be fine.
The one drama for the lonely island
The 18-year-old single-barrel bottling from the Spirit & Cask Range is a big hit. A bourbon barrel-ripened malt as if from a picture book: vanilla, fruit, oak and a lingering aftertaste ...
numbers and facts
Address: Eith, Banffshire AB55 3BU
Founded: 1957 by Chivas Brothers Ltd.
Status: active
Owner: Pernod Ricard
Capacity: about 6,000,000 liters
3 wash stills (xl)
3 spirit stills (xl)
Water: Balloch Hill Springs
Visitor Center: -
Telephone: +44 (0) 1542/783 042
Website: -
