Like so many other aspects of the whiskysphere in recent years, there are entities or processes that have been around for a long time, but simply weren’t well known. The internet, combined with a booming market, have resulted in many industry secrets or hidden jewels coming to light. Distilleries are one such example – if there wasn’t a commercial release available (or widely distributed) on the market, consumers simply didn’t know it existed. Ailsa Bay, Inchgower, Allt-a-bhaine, etc, are all examples of distilleries that most whisky drinkers simply haven’t heard of, despite the fact they’ve been around for many years. Kininvie is another example, although that’s now all changing, courtesy of its whiskies suddenly being thrust into the limelight.
Kininvie Distillery was built in 1990 on the same site as its siblings, Glenfiddich and Balvenie. It was, at the time, the third malt distillery in William Grant & Sons’ portfolio (or fourth, if you include the short-lived Ladyburn plant at Girvan, which ran from 1966 until 1975), and the distillery happily churned out malt whisky for use in the Grants’ blends, and no doubt also to supply fillings for other companies. More recently, Kininvie (gaelic for “End of the Field”) was reputed as being the heart of Monkey Shoulder, the blended malt evidently made up only of WG&S’ three Dufftown distilleries.
William Grant & Sons built yet another malt distillery within their Girvan complex, Ailsa Bay in 2007, and with production being strong and steady out of Ailsa Bay, Kininvie was mothballed temporarily in 2010. However, such is the demand and market for whisky right now, Kininvie is happily up and running on full steam again. (Literally!) The distillery is unusual, in that its mashtun and washbacks are all essentially within the Balvenie facility. However, the stillhouse, located a short walk away, is its own separate building, containing nine stills in total: Three sets of one wash still to two spirit stills.
There have been just two releases of Kininvie in the past, but under the name of Hazelwood. Finally, in late 2013, Kininvie was given the chance to shine under its own name, with the release of the 23yo. And, in mid-2014, a 17yo was released as a Travel Retail Exclusive. The 23yo is being released in batches, with Batch No. 1 launched exclusively in Taiwan, whilst Batch No. 2 saw a wider audience in the UK, USA, and most of Europe. Batch No. 3 is again more widespread and was officially launched in Australia on October 20th in Sydney.
With the above as background, you can understand why some might view Kininvie as being reclusive. And that’s a theme that was repeated and resonated at the launch: The event was held at Magazin, a private members’ bar that is tucked away on William Street in East Sydney. There’s a no-photos policy in place (an exception was made for tonight!) and if you’re the type that loves complex cocktails and an intimate place to chat without the usual noise and clamour associated with most other venues, then this might be your reclusive retreat. The background music for the night was the jazz stylings of Thelonious Monk, an equally enigmatic individual.
Guests were welcomed with a deliciously sweet cocktail that featured Monkey Shoulder, chocolate bitters and orange zest, which set the tone nicely. The room was called to order and the delightful Laura Hay, Whisky Specialist for WG&S in Australia, was MC for the night. The event was all about the launch of the Kininvie 23yo, but it would have been a dull evening to turn up just for a single drink. Accordingly, a treat was in store, with no less than four different Kininvie whiskies being explored on the night.
Our hosts had spectacularly managed to source two samples of Kininvie from two single casks, and the night kicked off with some cask-strength delights. The first whisky had been drawn from a single cask (American oak ex-bourbon barrel) that was filled in 1999 and was sitting at 55.7% ABV. The nose was grassy, with some light oak (pencil shavings), and a wonderful crème brulee note. The palate was creamy in texture and offered toffee fudge, while the finish was long, thick, and syrupy. Powerful, but elegant, this was a tremendous whisky, and it was painful to learn that it was a sample drawn from a cask and thus not actually available for purchase!
Demonstrating the diversity that comes from single casks (cue The Scotch Malt Whisky Society), the second whisky of the night was drawn from an ex-sherry butt that was filled in 1990 and was still sitting at an impressive 59% ABV. The colour was gorgeously dark, and the nose exhibited stunning sherry notes, as well as jam doughnuts and Danish pastries. The palate displayed textbook flavours of dried fruits, dry spices, and XO cognac, as well as some dark chocolate. The finish actually had a teasing smokiness to it, and was insanely long. Again, t’was agony to drink this and learn it was not available. Brian Kinsman, you know where I live…
The third whisky was the aforementioned 17yo Travel Retail bottling, which is made from 80% American oak ex-bourbon casks and 20% Spanish oak ex-sherry casks. The vatting is married together for six months before being bottled at the quirky strength of 42.6%. The nose displayed apple strudel and green fruits, whilst the palate offered vanilla and soft citrus. It was a very “Speyside” whisky in its style and delivery, and was quite multi-faceted, but easy drinking.
And then came the star of the show: The 23yo release. Again, bottled at 42.6%, Kininvie 23yo is available in 350ml bottles, and will retail in Australia for $210. The nose was light, giving suggestions of buttered toast, straw, hay in the field, and a soft maltiness that bordered on being akin to a light, sweet honey. It’s actually an extremely complex nose, and with a bit of time in the glass, aromas of tropical fruit and stone fruits (apricots and peaches) wafted out also. To taste, the palate was chewy, oily, and initially sat delicately balanced on the sweet/savoury fulcrum before leaning towards dried spices and cloves. The finish was long and offered a slight woody bitterness, not unlike a weak black coffee.
What struck me most about the Kininvie drams tonight, and particularly so with the 23yo, was that they nicely occupied a space that was missing in the WG&S line up. Glenfiddich offers the orchard fruits and citrus; Balvenie offers the malt and honey; but Kininvie clearly sits somewhere in between the two. As an ingredient that WG&S can use in its blends or trade casks for with other companies, you can see how Kininvie delivers precisely what the company needed. And, after 25 years of obscurity, malt enthusiasts around the world can at last enjoy its whisky.
Cheers,
AD
