Glenkinchie - The Lowlands - {Gentle Sweetness} -
Food suggestion: Glenkinchie is often enjoyed as an accompaniment to sardines and works beautifully with parmesan cheese.
Taste style: Medium. A clean and fresh flavour on the palate with distinctive floral and grassy aspects. Some find notes of ginger in the finish.
Although it lies not twenty miles from Edinburgh's great castle and the bustle of the Royal Mile, Glenkinchie's quiet surroundings make this tranquil place seem more remote.
This is rolling farm country, perfect for growing barley and described by Robert Burns as "the most glorious corn country I have ever seen".
Because of its closeness to Scotland's capital city, the distillery is a famed stopping point on the tourist trail - and the proud producer of what is commonly known as 'The Edinburgh Malt - the pale, dry aperitif of choice for polite society.
It has also long been the favourite Lowland malt of the blenders, and so always in great demand.
"One of the best-known Lowlanders. The typical regional character is there in its soft grassiness. Perhaps more like lemon grass? Then spicier, with cinnamon and ginger, in a lively finish." Michael Jackson, whisky writer and expert.
The Distillery -South and East of Edinburgh, where the high, green Lammermuir Hills begin to roll more gently north towards the Firth of Forth, lies the farming country of East Lothian.
Acres of barley grow in this "Garden of Scotland", in fields fed by water softly flowing down from the hills.
The agricultural revolution of the late 18th Century brought this barley to East Lothian in place of coarse crops of little use to distillers; father of the Scottish agricultural revolution John Cockburn pioneered some of the biggest changes locally, at Ormiston. Here, at the heart of the farming community south of Tranent, in the lee of the hills, farmers like the Rate brothers learned from these experiments. They are thought to have begun working on or near this site in 1825, calling their first distillery Milton. The land they farmed had belonged centuries earlier to the de Quincey family, from whose name 'Kinchie' derives. It lay in Lothian, named for King Arthur's brother Lot, who held court nearby on Traprain Law.
The barley they used was often grown on land manured with local seaweed, ripened earlier and was lighter than grain grown elsewhere - qualities soon prized in the Lowland malts made from it. The draff from the distillery long went to feed local cattle in the village of Pencaitland; a prize winning Aberdeen Angus herd grew up on the Glenkinchie Farm.
Glenkinchie was finally rebuilt in the 1890s as the model Victorian distillery village we know today - with its distinctive red brick buildings, houses for workers and even a bowling green. Tradition has its place here; for example, six wooden washbacks are still used for fermentation, two made from Oregon Pine and four from Canadian Larch.
Glenkinchie's two fat old copper pot stills are also a distinctive feature, among the largest in the industry and together producing 340,000 gallons annually. A single cast-iron worm tub cools the spirit, in preference to a more modern condenser, giving a whisky of greater character and depth.
Today, with just two Lowland distilleries left in production, Glenkinchie is the undisputed champion of the light Lowland style. With its interesting visitor center and charming setting, this also makes an ideal first distillery visit for today's tourists. And with more than 40,000 of them visiting each year, Glenkinchie remains at the center of Pencaitland life.
Glenkinchie 10 yr. old - Subtly sophisticated Lowland is a superb pre-dinner drink; try it taken straight from the freezer.
Strength: 43% ABV
Appearance:Pale gold.
Nose: A light sweet nose with barley-malt, green grass and wisps of autumn smoke.
Body: Firm, light.
Palate: Slightly sweet yet fresh, late summer fruits and harvest fields, young wood and malted barley.
Finish: A surprising dry finish with a smoky spiciness.
Glenkinchie Distiller's Edition 1991 - After mellowing in a refill cask to develop the soft distillery character for a decade, a secondary maturation in a specifically chosen amontillado sherry wood cask ensures that all the good work continues. This edition is testimony to the skills of the Master Distiller.
Strength: 43% ABV
Appearance: Sunny golden.
Palate: Intense, a biscuity-sweetness followed by a long echoing interplay of sugar sweetness and oaky dryness.
Finish: An astonishingly long finish, dry and soothing.