The Lowlands of Scotland are often over-looked, given it had only 2 single malt distilleries active in 2000 – Auchentoshan and Glenkinchie.  Yet it was once known for malts with a gentle elegance, stunning drams like Rosebank and old grains like Cambus from discontinued distilleries…  Today we have many new players like Lindores Abbey, Lochlea, Alisa Bay, Lagg, and others – some of whom have shifted deeply into peat rather than the earlier lighter Lowland “style”.

As I went through the Whisky Auction and spotted a 200ml of Glenkinchie 10 year from before 2008, I thought it would be a perfect example of an earlier Lowland experience. Whilst the period for this expression was 1987 – 2007, based on the “Classic Malts of Scotland” label, box colour, I believe it is from the late 1990s, though I could be mistaken. I picked it up for ~Eur 27 (including shipping & auction fees).

Glenkinchie 10 year (~late 1990s) 43%

• Nose – Bright, floral – particularly white flowers then tube roses, sharp green apple, inviting, cereals, honey suckle sweet, then gradually became more subdued, a little shy, shifting from green apples to red, from spring to summer…
• Palate – Dry, apricot pits, simple and straightforward yet with a rather nice mouthfeel, whilst light, there was some substance there too
• Finish – Medium long

Sometimes being “quite pleasant” is simply perfect! That’s exactly what we welcome. I was completely satisfied with this expression and delighted we had a chance to try it.

There remained a few drams in the bottle, enabling an opportunity to revisit at home for a quiet evening, free from distractions. It was even more enjoyable.

Based on this experience, I think I may need to keep an eye out for more Glenkinchie tasting opportunities! Prior to this, my experience was limited to just two expressions:

• The Glenkinchie 12 year 43% (which replaced the 10 year) and
• A special Diageo limited edition from 2023: Glenkinchie 27 year ‘The Floral Treasure’ (2023) 58.3%

What else did we try in our rare evening?

• Aultmore 9 year (Autumn 2000 / Spring 2010) Provenance Cask No 6211 46.8% (Douglas McGibbon & Co. Ltd)
• Balblair 16 year (Spring 2025) hogshead 55.8% (Chorlton)
• Craigallachie 17 year (Jun 2008 / 25 Aug 2025) Madeira Wine Cask No 7547103 54% (Duncan Taylor – Octave)

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