Glenkinchie

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Glenkinchie is a Scotch single malt whisky, produced at the Glenkinchie Distillery near Edinburgh. It is one of only three remaining Lowland malt whiskies in production.

[edit] The Distillery

Glenkinchie lies, as the name might suggest, in a glen of the Kinchie Burn near the village of Pencaitland, East Lothian. It is situated about 15 miles from Edinburgh. The distillery is set in farmland. The name 'Kinchie' is a corruption of 'De Quincy', the original owners of the land. Its origins date back to around 1825 when it was founded by brothers John and George Rate. The original name was Milton Distillery. The brothers probably renamed it in about 1837. In 1969 the distillery stopped malting its own grain and the malting floors were turned into a museum of malt whisky.

The Glenkinchie label was relatively little known until it became part of United Distillers 'Classic Malts' range in 1989 (the other malts are Dalwhinnie, Oban, Cragganmore, Talisker and Lagavulin).

[edit] The Whisky

The standard 10 year old Glenkinchie is a fairly typical lowland whisky in that it is fresh and light in character, with notes of lemon and cut grass. A sweet nose and a hint of peat make this a good introduction to the world of single malts.

The 14 year old Distiller's Edition is double-matured in Amontillado sherry casks. The sherry flavour competes slightly with the freshness but does not overpower it.