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Release Notes
A vatting of multiple first-fill Bourbon Barrels from the 1994 vintage, distilled at the Glen Keith Distillery
AlexanderMurray.com
3rd Party Tasting Notes
Grassy and perfumed, delicate, butterscotch, vanilla, apple strudel, pastry.
AlexanderMurray.com
This 1994 vintage has a delicate and complex character. Rich and fruity with a luscious texture. Oak, tobacco and the faintest wisp of smoke.
From the Bottle
The Bottler: Alexander Murray & Co
| Established: 2004 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Calabasas, CA 91302 |
| → website |
1911: There, in the rolling fields of the North-East of Scotland, on a small farm, a boy was born. This boy, named Alexander Murray, would grow up working the farm, which helped shape his character and view on the world. Alexander Murray would become a true individual and independent thinker, and would influence many of those around him, including his young nephew, Steve Lipp.
2004: Steve, now a fully grown man, having cut his teeth working for a number of independent whisky companies in Scotland in the 1990s, founded Alexander Murray & Co LLC and the Alexander Murray brand in his new home, California; naming the company after the Great Uncle who gave him his very first taste of Scotch whisky; ‘the water of life’.
2004: Steve, now a fully grown man, having cut his teeth working for a number of independent whisky companies in Scotland in the 1990s, founded Alexander Murray & Co LLC and the Alexander Murray brand in his new home, California; naming the company after the Great Uncle who gave him his very first taste of Scotch whisky; ‘the water of life’.
from Alexander Murray
The Distillery: Glen Keith
| Established: 1959 |
| Silent since: 1999 |
| Address: Station Road, Keith, Morayshire, AB55 3BU, Scotland |
The Glen Keith distillery was built in 1957-1960 on the site of a corn mill by Chivas Brothers, who also owned the nearby Strathisla distillery. It was one of the first new malt distilleries to be built in Scotland since the late-Victorian whisky boom. Glen Keith (a.k.a. Glenkeith) originally had 3 stills because the distillery was designed for triple distillation. This 'Lowland' set-up was very unusual for a Speyside distillery...
The number of stills was increased to five in 1970, when they switched to double distillation. The new stills were a novelty; they were the first gas-fired stills in Scotland. The Glen Keith distillery was mothballed in 1999 and sold to Pernod Ricard in 2001. Sadly, the new owners didn't maintain the original distillery equipment in the decade that followed. Glenisla 1977 Glen Keith 1983 Scotch whisky
That makes it likely that Glen Keith distillery is now silent for good - various pieces of distillery equipment require regular maintenance and cleaning to remain in working order. The Glen Keith distillery buildings themselves still seem to be in tip-top shape though...
When I write this, it isn't clear what the future plans for the buildings are.
Glen Keith was a malt whisky distillery, but Chivas Brothers also used it as a laboratory for experiments with 'innovations' in production and processing.
When Chivas opened Glen Keith distillery in 1959, its output was destined for blending purposes. The Glen Keith malt whisky was used in Chivas Regal, Passport and 100 pipers blended whisky. As far as I know, the Glen Keith 1983 depicted at the left (which was released in the early 1990's) was the first real official bottling.
The Glen Keith 1983 single malt whisky was replaced by a 10yo bottling a few years later, but it would seem that Chivas stopped releasing official bottlings a few years later. The last time I checked the Malt Maniacs Monitor it contained only official bottlings from the 1990's. All the recent bottlings were from independent bottlers.
The picture at the left (by Martine Nouet) shows four of the stills at Glen Keith distillery. Two of these stills were added in 1970; for 10 years the distillery switched between triple and double distillation. In the 1980's they switched to double distillation completely. In 1971 the stills at Glen Keith were the first gas-fired stills to be installed in Scotland. Three years later, steam coils were installed.
At times, a peated malt whisky was produced at Glen Keith. Martine Nouet asked Chivas' production manager Alan Winchester about it and he told her that the peatiness of the spirit came from the water and not from the malted barley as usual. The peat was burnt, after which the peat smoke was passed through the water. The dark, peaty water was then used in the production process. This variety was sold under the names Glenisla and Craigduff. Signatory Vintage has also bottled a peated version of Glen Keith which was made in the traditional way, with peated malted barley.
Until 1978, the official distillery name was 'Glen Keith-Glenlivet'; the 'Glenlivet' part had to be dropped from the name for legal reasons.
Last but not least, I'd like to share some thoughts from Martine Nouet on a topic that is often overlooked: the yeast that was used at Glen Keith;
"Another very interesting aspect of Glen Keith experiments was all what they did about yeast. They produced their own strains, from the wort first, then from the pot-ale. That yeast was used by the distilleries of the Chivas group, especially Strathisla and Glen Grant. Nothing has ever been said about those experiments which were conducted by a foremost authority on yeast, Dr. Watson (who is still with Chivas company).
Now as most distilleries, Chivas use commercial strains from Quest and Maury. But the strains have been pasteurized and are kept in the yeast library. It would be interesting to learn more about the subject. Alan says that the experiments were conducted to produce specific flavours. He agrees to say that yeast is very important in the making of the aromatic profile (I have always a deny on that question each time I have raised it with distillers and I regret not to have the scientific understanding of the subject. I only apprehend it from the aromatic aspect)."
The number of stills was increased to five in 1970, when they switched to double distillation. The new stills were a novelty; they were the first gas-fired stills in Scotland. The Glen Keith distillery was mothballed in 1999 and sold to Pernod Ricard in 2001. Sadly, the new owners didn't maintain the original distillery equipment in the decade that followed. Glenisla 1977 Glen Keith 1983 Scotch whisky
That makes it likely that Glen Keith distillery is now silent for good - various pieces of distillery equipment require regular maintenance and cleaning to remain in working order. The Glen Keith distillery buildings themselves still seem to be in tip-top shape though...
When I write this, it isn't clear what the future plans for the buildings are.
Glen Keith was a malt whisky distillery, but Chivas Brothers also used it as a laboratory for experiments with 'innovations' in production and processing.
When Chivas opened Glen Keith distillery in 1959, its output was destined for blending purposes. The Glen Keith malt whisky was used in Chivas Regal, Passport and 100 pipers blended whisky. As far as I know, the Glen Keith 1983 depicted at the left (which was released in the early 1990's) was the first real official bottling.
The Glen Keith 1983 single malt whisky was replaced by a 10yo bottling a few years later, but it would seem that Chivas stopped releasing official bottlings a few years later. The last time I checked the Malt Maniacs Monitor it contained only official bottlings from the 1990's. All the recent bottlings were from independent bottlers.
The picture at the left (by Martine Nouet) shows four of the stills at Glen Keith distillery. Two of these stills were added in 1970; for 10 years the distillery switched between triple and double distillation. In the 1980's they switched to double distillation completely. In 1971 the stills at Glen Keith were the first gas-fired stills to be installed in Scotland. Three years later, steam coils were installed.
At times, a peated malt whisky was produced at Glen Keith. Martine Nouet asked Chivas' production manager Alan Winchester about it and he told her that the peatiness of the spirit came from the water and not from the malted barley as usual. The peat was burnt, after which the peat smoke was passed through the water. The dark, peaty water was then used in the production process. This variety was sold under the names Glenisla and Craigduff. Signatory Vintage has also bottled a peated version of Glen Keith which was made in the traditional way, with peated malted barley.
Until 1978, the official distillery name was 'Glen Keith-Glenlivet'; the 'Glenlivet' part had to be dropped from the name for legal reasons.
Last but not least, I'd like to share some thoughts from Martine Nouet on a topic that is often overlooked: the yeast that was used at Glen Keith;
"Another very interesting aspect of Glen Keith experiments was all what they did about yeast. They produced their own strains, from the wort first, then from the pot-ale. That yeast was used by the distilleries of the Chivas group, especially Strathisla and Glen Grant. Nothing has ever been said about those experiments which were conducted by a foremost authority on yeast, Dr. Watson (who is still with Chivas company).
Now as most distilleries, Chivas use commercial strains from Quest and Maury. But the strains have been pasteurized and are kept in the yeast library. It would be interesting to learn more about the subject. Alan says that the experiments were conducted to produce specific flavours. He agrees to say that yeast is very important in the making of the aromatic profile (I have always a deny on that question each time I have raised it with distillers and I regret not to have the scientific understanding of the subject. I only apprehend it from the aromatic aspect)."
Trivia:
- The famous and picturesque Strathisla distillery is located just a few hundred yards from Glen Keith distillery.
- Glen Keith was the first distillery to experiment with automatic mashing in the 1980's.
- The Saladin boxes at Glen Keith were closed in 1976 - although they could still be used.
- Glen Keith is located on the bank of the small river Isla, at the back of Strathisla. The location next to a river was chosen because the distillery used to be a meal mill. The last owners were the Angus Milling Company.
- After the conversion from meal-mill to distillery, Seagram's built large racked warehouses by the side as a storage area for Glen Keith and the other malt whiskies of the Chivas group.
from Malt Madness
The Owner: Chivas Brothers
| Established: 1801 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Strathisla Distillery, Seafield Avenue, Keith, Banffshire, AB55 5BS, United Kingdom |
| → website |
Chivas Regal is a blended Scotch whisky produced by Chivas Brothers, owned by Pernod Ricard. According to the brand packaging, Chivas Brothers was first established in 1801 in Aberdeen, Scotland. The Chivas brand"s home is Strathisla Distillery at Keith, Moray in Speyside, Scotland. It is the market leading Scotch whisky aged 12 years and above in Europe and Asia Pacific. Chivas Regal sales have grown by 61% between 2002 and 2008.
In the early 1900s, Chivas Brothers decided to create their most aged blended Scotch whisky to export to the U.S, where the booming economy after the turn of the century was fueling demand for luxury goods. The whisky was named Chivas Regal.
Chivas Regal 25 Year Old was launched in 1909 as the original luxury Scotch, and became a leading brand in the U.S. Chivas Regal continued its success until prohibition in the 1920s.
In 1843, Chivas Brothers were granted a Royal Warrant to supply goods to Queen Victoria. Chivas Brothers was described in 1890 as "undoubtedly the finest purveying business in the north of Scotland" by "Scotland of Today" magazine.
During the 1850s, James Chivas decided to respond to his affluent customers" demands for a smoother whisky, by beginning to blend whiskies to create a proprietary blend to Chivas Brothers. Their first blended Scotch whisky named "Royal Glen Dee" was launched, followed in the 1860s by their second blended Scotch whisky, "Royal Strathythan".
The House of Schivas, a large mansion, was built at Schivas in Aberdeenshire in 1640. The name is derived from the Gaelic "seamhas", meaning narrow place.
Chivas Brothers traces its roots to the opening of a grocery store at 13 King St, Aberdeen in 1801. The store sold luxury foodstuffs such as coffee, exotic spices, French brandies, and Caribbean rums to a wealthy clientele. In 1842, Chivas Brothers were retained to supply provisions to the royal family at Balmoral Castle upon Queen Victoria"s first visit to Scotland.
Chivas Regal was purchased by Seagrams in 1949, which provided a much wider distribution and marketing system.
Chivas Regal was re-launched as Chivas Regal 12 year old in the US following the disruption of both Prohibition and World War II. Chivas became a fashionable brand of the era, and became associated with Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack. Chivas Regal was the Scotch whisky requested by Sinatra, along with other spirits brands backstage at performances, and Chivas sponsored Frank Sinatra"s Diamond Jubilee Tour in 1990.
The Strathisla distillery is owned by Chivas Brothers, and Strathisla Single Malt is one of the malt whiskies used within the Chivas Regal blend.
Strathisla Single Malts have a natural sweetness and help to define the taste of Chivas Regal.
In 1950, the company Chivas Brothers was able to buy the Strathisla Distillery which produces the Strathisla Single Malt, which is used within the Chivas Regal blend.
The Chivas Regal range was expanded with the launch of higher aged whiskies, in 1997 with the launch of Chivas Regal 18 year old, and in 2007 with the launch of Chivas Regal 25.
Chivas Regal was acquired by Pernod Ricard in 2000 upon the break up of Seagrams Group.
The home of Chivas Regal and location of its visitor centre is located at the Strathisla distillery. The distillery was founded in 1786, and is the oldest working distillery in the Highlands of Scotland - Strathisla Distillery, located in Speyside.
from Wikipedia
The Owner: Pernod Ricard
| Established: 1975 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 12, place des Etats-Unis, 75783 Paris Cedex-16, France |
| → website |
HELLO WORLD!!! Pernod Ricard owns a wide variety of brands including: Chivas Regal, Glenlivet, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Seagram"s, Pernod absinthe, Absolut, Ricard pastis, Martell cognac, Jaconb"s Creek wine, pernod anise, Havana Club rum, Ballantine"s scotch, Kahlue, Malibu rum, Beefeater gun, Stolichnaya vodka, Mumm champagne and more.
Pernod Ricard came into existence when old rivals Pernod and Ricard merged to form Pernod Ricard S.A.. Ricard was founded 1932 in Marseille by Paul Ricard. Pernod started with Henri-Louis Pernod who opened his first absinthe distillery in Switzerland in 1797, followed by Maison Pernod Fils in Pontarlier. In 1926 these distilleries merged with Distillerie Hernard in Paris to form Les Etablissements Pernod.
After the 1975 merger that formed the current company a series of buy-ins and takeovers began that continues until this day. In 1988 PR acquired Irish Distillers which includes Jameson Irish Whiskeys, in 1989 PR acquired Orlando Wyndham (makers of Jacob"s Creek wine), in 2001 PR purchased 38% of Seagram"s Wines and Spirits, in 2005 PR purchased Allied Domecq and in 2008 PR bought V&S Group which includes the Absolut Vodka brand.
Reborn from the Pernod Fils company as a producer of anise liqueur following the ban on absinthe, it is now a worldwide conglomerate. It owns the alcoholic beverage division of the former Seagram corporation, among many other holdings. In 2005, the company acquired British-based international competitor Allied Domecq plc.
In 2008, Pernod Ricard announced the acquisition of Swedish-based V&S Group including Absolut Vodka.
Pernod Ricard (Euronext: RI) is a French company that produces alcoholic beverages. The company"s most famous products, Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis, are both anise liqueurs, and often referred to as simply Pernod or Ricard. The company also produces several other types of pastis.
from Wikipedia