Glen Keith 1997 (bottled 2015) - Connoisseurs Choice (70cl, 46%) ***sold***
A 1997 vintage whisky from the little-seen Glen Keith, bottled by Gordon & MacPhail for their Connoisseurs Choice collection in 2015.
Glen Keith was built by Canadian drinks giant, Seagram, in the late 1950s to supply malt for their Chivas, 100 Pipers and Passport blends. The distillery was an experimental facility, with a range of different stills, trialling different mash and yeast types, and methods of peat smoking. One of the peated variants it produced was the rare Glenisla. Seagram collapsed in the early 2000s, and Glen Keith was perhaps an early indication of its ill-fate, closing in 1999. It was re-opened in 2013 by Chivas Brothers, who continue its experimental traditions by housing their lab there. Despite its importance to Seagram blends, Glen Keith was always deemed worthy of bottling as a single malt, both by the distillery and by independent companies.
The Connoisseurs Choice label is one of the most recognisable independent bottlings on the market. It was initially created for renowned Italian importer, Edoardo Giaccone in the early 1970s, but became a mainstay of the core Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979.