Kininvie, always in the shadow of the siblings
Kininvie was for a long time some kind of Holy Grail for me. One of the more rare single malt whisky out there, most of all because virtually all output that is produced at this humble distillery next door to Balvenie and Glenfiddich goes into blends. Not that there is not enough Kininvie to bring out a bottle or two, since the distillery produces around 4,5 million litres per annum. For a good impression of the taste of Kininvie, you can actually buy the popular blended malt Monkey Shoulder, that is predominantly made up with Kininvie in the lead. Still, pure examples are still quite rare. The very first release appeared under the name Hazelwood and was dedicated by owner William Grant & Sons to the 105th birthday of Janet Sheed Roberts, granddaughter of Willam Grant of Glenfiddich. Kininvie bottles with the actual name of the distillery on it has seen light of day in travel exclusive half litre bottles.
In recent years, the entry of teaspooned whisky has made it easier to taste variants of whisky you will not quickly see via independent routes. Like, for instance, an independently bottled Glenmorangie you will not see quickly, but by now there is enough teaspooned Westport malt around. The same goes for, amongst others, Kininvie. I think I actually heard from the concept of teaspoon for the first time around Willam Grant distilleries. To prevent casks of Glenfiddich or Balvenie hitting the market beyond their control, they would also add (or claim they had) a teaspoon of the one spirit to a cask of the other. So, story has it, Aldunie is teaspooned with a drop of Balvenie. Anyway, we will just pretend the stuff we drink today is Kininvie, thank you very much.
Aldunie 1997, 24 years old, bottled at 52,2 % abv by Acorn
First things first: Aldunie bottled by Acorn from single malt distilled in September 1997. In September 2021 the content of barrel # 2030 was put into glass for ARen Trading Co. Ltd.
Upon Sipping: Floral, dusty, gummi bears and vanilla. In short. This expression is really on the borderline between floral and more exuberant fruity notes. This creates a beautiful tension between these two characteristics, with the floral notes still on the upper hand. The taste is really easy-going, with soft wood notes and even a little harsh spiciness. Mostly vanilla and cold coffee, a true Speysider or dare I say typical Dufftown malt (like the neighbouring siblings). With water, we wash away some austerity, and a soft fruity character comes up, but it does not seem to be able to rise above the level of average Speyside, and does not offer anything extra.
Word to the Wise: If anything, this expression underlines why there is no place in the spotlight for Kininvie, at least not from plain wood maturation. It offers little extra to please, and probably works best in an ensemble. The Monkey Shoulder is a comfortable home for Kininvie.
Score: 85 points.