Been a couple of months since I posted my tasting notes for the 23 year old, and it’s time to visit another expression from the same distillery, a younger one this time, but not necessarily not as good as some would think. If that surprises you, I guess you’re not the first, but when we take into consideration that each cask is different, and that different wood profiles may result ins different whisky altogether, it’s not that illogical when you think of it. Age matters, but age is not everything. (don’t get me started with NAS, ok?).
The 17 year old is a travel retail edition and 80% of the whisky is matured in American oak barrels with the remaining 20% resting in sherry casks for 17 years, as with the 23 year old it comes in 350ml bottles (1/2 bottle),
Enough geek talk, let’s taste:
Kininvie 17 , 42.6% abv, Travel Retail only
Nose: Classic stuff. Textbook speyside on a plate. Malty with lovely fruitiness as in baked apple and pear, toasted oak , vanilla and spices. Some wet hay too and old wood. a hint of balsamic sourness . Brilliant.
Palate: Spicier and less creamy than the nose suggested. Prickly. Then getting maltier with the baked apple and oak, pepper and dough.
Finish: Peppery, malty and fruity , also quite buttery and long.
This is a very good malt indeed, and it’s hard to say which is better: the 17 or the 23… If i had to pick I’d probably go with the 17 but it surely depends on my mood at that moment.
Score: 89/100
official sample provided by W.Grant & sons.
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