Here we have a 24-year-old, cask strength Glenkinchie.  Is your mouth still not watering?  How about I tell you this is the first time Glenkinchie used exclusively European oak.  In this case, refill European oak filled in 1991.  This expression from the Lowland distillery is bottled at 57.2% abv at a retail price of $450.

On the nose, I get cooked cereal notes and spice, sort of like oatmeal.  Cutting through is a bright citrus.  Pine tree and molasses (Jamaican pot still rum?) round out the nose. Taste-wise, we’re talking crisp apples and caramel at first, developing into lemon curd, grapefruit juice.  Did I mention spice?  There’s lots of it, thanks to the European oak maturation.  The finish, featuring some allspice,  is bittersweet and slowly turns a touch dry.

I do like the spices the European oak brings to the table, leaving us with a light and spicy expression of Glenkinchie.  8/10

Thanks to Diageo for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.