Glenkinchie

Known as ‘The Edinburgh Malt’, Glenkinchie is a Scotch whisky with a history that dates back two centuries. The distillery, which is near the village of Pencaitland in East Lothian, has been operating on the site since 1825 – although it was only registered under the Glenkinchie name in 1837. It was originally founded by John and George Rate, as Milton Distillery, but is now under the ownership of Diageo. 

Glenkinchie has a classically light and subtly sweet and spicy Lowland profile – which is why it has been a popular contributor to blends such as Dewars, Haig and Johnnie Walker. In fact, only around 10% of production is reserved for single malt bottlings. 

Official releases are rare and independent bottlings are almost non-existent. The previous core range expression, a 10 Year Old, has been replaced with a 12 Year Old release. This is part of Diageo’s Classic Malts range. There is also a semi-regular release of a Distillers Edition, which is aged in Amontillado sherry casks. 

Due to the minimal expressions, Glenkinchie only has a small following, but it remains a must-try as one of the few remaining Lowlanders.