Glenkinchie 12 years

Score: 74

Glenkinchie 12 year old holds a special place in club history as the inaugural winner of the 2019 Champion of Champions, a title that, at the time, reflected the club’s evolving palate and preferences. It wowed with its light, soft, and delicate Lowland character: floral notes, honeyed sweetness, and a smooth, buttery texture that made it easy to go down. Back then, full-bodied drinkability was king, and Glenkinchie 12 delivered exactly that. It became a go-to bottle for the club, especially for newcomers, accessible, elegant, and a gentle introduction to single malt whisky. But in hindsight, the 43% ABV does let it down. In today’s tastings, where complexity, intensity, and edge carry more weight, Glenkinchie 12 feels a little too tame. Still, its legacy remains intact: a gateway dram that once captured the club’s imagination and set the tone for everything that followed.