Glenburgie 1988, Glen Keith 1993 & 1994 (The Whisky Agency)

We continue our tour around the new bottlings from The Whisky Agency, celebrating their 15th anniversary. Check our review of the Ben Nevis, Glenrothes and Bowmore from the same batch.

We start with the oldest Glenburgie we’ve ever had, yay! Next up are two Glen Keith bottlings from 1993 and 1994.

 

Glenburgie 35 yo 1988 (42,6%, The Whisky Agency ’15th Anniversary’ 2024, hogshead, 236 btl.)

Nose: wonderful waxy notes up front. Paraffin and clay, with hints of hay and waxed papers. Then some mossy notes and old cloth, hints of natural vanilla and yellow apples. Apricot and pineapple in the distance? Hints of mead and whiffs of herbal tea. Back to linseed oil and walnuts after a while. Really beautiful – I could nose this for hours.

Mouth: still an ‘old’ profile that is hard to pin down. A really fatty texture, with beeswax and some leathery notes. More dried herbs, as well as a drop of quinina which adds a bittersweet touch. Orange peels, grapefruits, maybe some ripe melon as well. At some point it reminded me of very old blends, with a malty core and nicely intergrated oaky notes. Overall rather subtle but special.

Finish: quite long, with returning hints of hay, grassy tea and a hint of chalk.

The bad news is that I was expecting more fruits and some more oomph. The good news is that this Glenburgie is a totally unique malt with a nice funky side. In fact this is one of the most un-modern whiskies I’ve had in years.

 

 

Glen Keith 30 yo 1993 (51,3%, The Whisky Agency ’15th Anniversary’ 2023, hogshead)

Nose: bright and fruity, on tart citrus, pineapples, white peach and green apples. Some unripe mango. Underneath there is a hint of wax candles and cake frosting. After a while very subtle grassy touches and blossomy notes.

Mouth: the same green / tart fruitiness. Lovely lime and lemon juice, along with pineapple, peaches and hints of papaya. Vitamin juice, really. A nice hint of candy sugar and honey, as well as a subtle chalky note. I’m getting a Ben Nevis vibe at times. Light pepper and clove oil towards the end.

Finish: quite long, with some oaky warmth now, along with orchard fruits and hints of herbal tea.

Such a bright fruitiness, slightly tropical and Irish. Glen Keith often gets high scores here and 1993 is a quintessential vintage in my opinion. I find this hard to resist. Score: 90/100

 

 

Glen Keith 29 yo 1994 (54,1%, The Whisky Agency ’15th Anniversary’ 2023, bourbon barrel, 125 btl.)

Nose: initially less talkative, and overall slightly riper / woodier. A very nice hint of coconut cream, which mixes perfectly with hints of pineapple and banana milkshake. Then drops of honey and almond oil. Vanilla cake with drops of white rum. Nice.

Mouth: slightly more syrupy and oaked. Slightly more full-bodied, thanks to the wood. There’s a flash of well-aged grain whisky at its core, with creamy notes, vanilla, hints of almonds and leather. Still some citrus and orchard fruits, but not as tropical this time. Hints of ginger and mint. The natural waxiness comes out late.

Finish: fairly long, with oak in the lead now. Some cake and a citrusy sourness.

On the nose I found this really seductive. However it was already indicating more oak influence, which shows on the palate. A really nice sipper, but I prefer the focused fruits of the 1993, by a small margin. Overall a lovely duo though. Score: 88/100